Want to be a Superior Realtor? Learn Negotiation Skills In my work as a negotiation skills training speaker to real estate agents, I am often asked why negotiation skills are so important? My response is that when realtors learn negotiating skills it is one of the best ways that they can differentiate themselves. Real Estate Negotiation I recently came across an excellent piece in the prestigious Harvard Business School online...
8 Scary Reasons Jobsites Don’t Work As a keynote speaker and a consultant on hiring the best person, let me begin with a controversial statement: in my opinion most of the job search websites are not worth the digital keystrokes they are built on. When I as a change management speaker give a personal or in-person keynote address on hiring the best person, I am amazed, but not surprised...
How Many Days Has It Been for You? My work as a Workplace Safety Speaker has taken me to many manufacturing, trucking and construction companies. Recently, the president of a company invited me to see the operation before I delivered a safety speech. Before I ever thought about becoming a keynote speaker on safety, I worked in construction, manufacturing, and transportation, so it always feels good to “come back...
All That Stinks Here Isn’t Cheese As a negotiation skills keynote speaker and breakout speaker who speaks nationwide on negotiation, I will admit two things upfront: I actually used the expression “all that stinks here isn’t cheese,” with a cheese-making ingredient client, and that I don’t know anything about cheesemaking. Well, Excuuuse Me As to the expression, it led to me helping the sales manager at the ingredient company...
Negotiation Skills Speaker Learning effective negotiation skills isn’t a talent reserved for an elite few. As a negotiation skills speaker, I often remind those who attend my negotiation skills keynote addresses and workshops, that 70 percent of the sale is made before you get there.“Well then, Mike, what is the other 30 percent?” It’s You! The unknown factor in any negotiation, especially for people in sales and marketing, is...
As a change management speaker, my keynote talks on change management often remind me of sports, especially Track & Field. So, I am sure this will lead to your first question: “Why does a change management motivational speech remind you of an event like a 440-relay?” To understand Track & Field, you have to understand that when it comes to a relay race, the runners, across the board, are...
As a change management speaker and change management breakout session speaker my greatest passion is to help organizations manage change, and respond to change in challenging times. I think we would all agree that as a society, in the past decade, nothing has changed us as much as COVID. Clearly, we can always point to the rise of Facebook users, YouTube uploads, the appearance of Bitcoin, the increase in...
My passion as a workplace safety speaker has led me all across America to deliver keynote addresses and break-out training sessions as a keynote speaker and breakout speaker on safety to construction companies, food processing, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturing, trucking companies and similar organizations. I have seen the results of what happens when safety is ignored. As a workplace safety speaker, I frequently like to ask the question you see...
As a motivational safety speaker, there’s always one wise-guy in the audience who says: “I always hear you guys talking about safety first. So, what’s second, beer?” It’s always good for a laugh. The dismissive answer is: “Why, are you buying?” The subject is anything but lighthearted. In fact, when I as a safety speaker give my safety keynote speeches, I’m aware that in a year, workers might walk...
As a safety speaker who speaks on workplace safety, I consider my mission not only important, but lifesaving. Do you have a workplace safety mindset? Do you encourage a workplace safety mindset in your team members? We’re All Adults Here The last thing I want to do is to “gross anyone out,” but as a workplace safety speaker who started his career on the manufacturing floor, I was witness...
As a pharma sales speaker who specializes in negotiation, I know it has never been more important to view each pharma sale as a negotiation. As the dust settled on 2020, we learned that despite many approvals and innovative therapies, numerous drugs failed to achieve sales projections. In addition, healthcare facilities across North America had no choice but to reduce staff and as a result, were not receptive to...
As a Keynote Speaker on Teamwork, Team Building Speaker and a Team Management Speaker, I realize there is a lot of confusion. To briefly point out the differences of the terms, Teamwork is a general term referring to the combined effort of a group of people. Teamwork can apply to the Navy SEALS, New York Yankees or the sales force of a pharmaceutical company. The premise of teamwork is...
As a team building motivational speaker, I stress that team building, the forging of great teams doesn’t start with T-shirts, engraved pens or imprinted water bottles. Team building starts with inspiration. It starts with people who are willing to step up and to inspire everyone around them. Management and Communication Inspiration doesn’t come from the guy with the loudest voice but from those who manage the team’s resources the...
As a workplace safety motivational speaker, I can’t tell you how many factories and worksites I’ve visited, where some 20-year-old is sitting there, smiling at me as I stress the seriousness of safety. Speaking on workplace safety is often a thankless job. The people who really need to hear the safety message need a lot of convincing because they can’t imagine the consequences. Workplace Safety is Forever I was...
My twenty-year mission as a change management speaker has led me to the conclusion that most people don’t want to embrace change management, they want to erase it. In my in-person and virtual training sessions, I note that managing change is never easy. However, organizational change is made more difficult when employees intuitively know they must accept the changes in their organization, and then refuse to expose themselves to...
As a change management motivational speaker, I have witnessed the rise and the wide-spread interest in a change management speaker. In fact, “Change Management” has become a modern-day buzzword. But can an executive leader truly manage change? I think not. I know that may sound controversial, but I have plenty of experts who agree with me. A classic article that first appeared in the prestigious Harvard Business Review in the...
A few years ago, I was asked in my role as a safety motivational speaker to speak at a major food industry tradeshow. One of the aspects of the tradeshow was that it was honoring women who had contributed to the industry. Indeed, as a keynote and break-out session speaker on safety I have met many women who have had outstanding careers in the safety prevention area. I am...
Mike Hourigan, your Negotiation Skills Speaker In my specialty as a negotiation skills speaker and negotiation expert, I have learned that the key to an effective negotiation is not to “win” but to reach a mutually beneficial compromise. To that end, when I teach negotiation skills in my keynote speeches or negotiation skills breakout sessions, class participants are frequently surprised when I stress the importance of making the other...
In my role as a virtual negotiation skills keynote speaker, whenever I present a topic as a virtual negotiation skills training speaker in the area of virtual negotiation skills or soon (I hope) in-person negotiation skills training, I am frequently asked: “Mike what is the most important negotiation skill that I need to bring with me to the meeting?” Actually, there are four negotiation skills every negotiator should possess....
As a change management speaker, expert and trainer, I know that this spring could signal some of the most major changes in organizations in decades. Post-COVID 19 changes will come fast, and if you are not careful, the competition will get out of the gate before you have a chance to respond. Plan Now for Post-COVID 19 Change Recently, I read an excellent piece on change management in the...