What does a former executive from Proctor and Gamble have to teach me as a realtor? It turns out- quite a lot. During his twenty five year stint with Proctor and Gamble, he negotiated billions of dollars worth of contracts up and down their supply chain, ended up teaching negotiation skills internationally for ten years and eventually developed a course for the real estate industry.

When I had the opportunity to attend a two day small class with him, I couldn't pass it up. Today's real estate market, as everyone well knows, has gotten a lot tougher. While everyone is aware of fewer sales in a depressed market, what most people are not aware of is how tough negotiations can be from the smallest home to the largest. Both buyers and sellers have much at stake right now, and that makes negotiating one of the skills one has to bring to their clients for a successful transaction.

Topics covered included creating opportunities to interact and dialogue with the other side, ascertaining the best techniques with which to persuade and influence, and understanding different types of negotiation and when to use them.

While my husband commented that "he may never get his way again" I believe most of my clients will appreciate my new designation of CNE.