The negotiation happens live, on stage.
Not a slide deck about confidence. A real negotiation, with a real volunteer, in front of your audience.
I bring someone up, hand them a position, and negotiate against them in front of the room — narrating the Protocol as it happens. By the end your audience has watched a labeled emotion change a price, not heard a story about it.
The Problem With Most Keynotes
Your audience has already been inspired.
They've sat through the hero's-journey talk. They've done the standing ovation. They clapped, they felt something real, and three weeks later nobody changed how they open a call.
That's not the speaker's fault — it's a format problem. Sixty minutes of narrative can move a room, but it can't install a behavior. So I use the hour differently: demonstrate the mechanics live, then send everyone home with the four stages and one drill they can run on Monday.
There's still energy in the room — you don't hold 300 people with a diagram. But the energy is a delivery mechanism, not the product.
Formats
Three ways to put me in front of a room
- Live negotiation demo with an audience volunteer
- The Cruz Protocol, all four stages
- One seated drill the whole room runs
- Q&A — unscripted, no plants
- Digital cheat sheet for every attendee
- Travels from Chicago; virtual available
- Everything in the keynote, plus:
- Small-group roleplay rounds
- Floor coaching while they practice
- Objection teardown from your real pipeline
- Printed cheat sheets for the room
- Fits a morning slot before lunch
- All four stages, drilled to competence
- Live roleplays on your actual scenarios
- Recording of every practice round
- Laminated 50-Label Cheat Sheet
- 25 Script Pack — digital and printed
- Stage scorecard for each attendee
Straight talk on which to pick: a keynote creates interest. A full day creates capability. If your goal is a measurable change in how your team negotiates, book the day — and if budget only reaches the keynote, start there and use the free app to keep it alive.
Talk Topics
What I can build the hour around
The Protocol: Read, Disarm, Steer, Close
The core talk. Four stages, demonstrated live. Best for mixed audiences and company-wide kickoffs.
Say It First: The Accusation Audit
Why naming the worst thing about your offer wins the deal. The single most counterintuitive tool I teach, and the one that changes rooms fastest.
The Six-Second Close
How much money gets discounted in the silence after a question — and how to train restraint. Sales-floor favorite.
From the Marines to the Table
Leadership under pressure, and why calm is a trainable skill rather than a personality trait. The right pick for leadership offsites and veteran audiences.
The Hardest Conversations in Real Estate
Price reductions, difficult sellers, low appraisals, dual agency. Built from Chicago deals and written for brokerages.
Negotiating Without Leverage
What to do when the other side has more money, more lawyers, and more time. My most requested breakout.
Logistics
What I need from you
Room
Handheld or lav mic, and the ability for me to get to a volunteer. No stage required — I'd rather be at floor level.
Tech
HDMI and a screen if you want slides. I can run the whole thing without them, and often do.
Travel
Based in Chicago. Domestic travel billed at cost. Virtual keynotes available at a reduced fee.
Recording
Record it, clip it, post it — no restrictions. I'll usually ask for a copy.
Prep
One 20-minute call beforehand so the demo uses your industry's objections instead of generic ones.
Volunteer
Don't pre-select one. The demo only lands if the room knows it wasn't rehearsed.
Tell me about the room.
Audience, date, and what you need them doing differently afterward. I'll tell you honestly whether a keynote is the right format or whether you should spend the budget on a training day instead.
Check availability → Or book directly · calendly.com/negotiatorsondemand/corporate-training