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20The Ledge Technique

The biology that drives your neurophysiological and emotional responses is powerful. In situations where you actively and intentionally put yourself in a vulnerable position, you feel fear. Your pulse quickens, your breathing gets shallow, and anxiety increases.

The evolutionary forces that trigger a sea of disruptive emotions begin to kick in. The neurophysiological response to the feeling of vulnerability makes it challenging to maintain confidence and composure.

It’s difficult to control your attention. It’s hard to think. Studies have proven that even your IQ drops when you are in vulnerable situations—a big problem when you need 100% of your intellectual acuity to win for your team at the negotiation table.

In the emotionally fueled atmosphere of sales negotiation, unchecked emotions become your most formidable enemy. When you are engulfed in disruptive emotions, you cannot be effective.

The Curse of Fight or Flight

The human brain, the most complex biological structure on earth, is capable of incredible things. Yet despite its almost infinite complexity, your brain is always focused on one very simple responsibility: protecting you from threats so that you remain alive.

Harvard professor and psychologist Dr. Walter Cannon first coined the term fight-or-flight response to describe how the brain responds to threats.¹ In one circumstance, this response can save you from certain death, but in another unleashes a wave of disruptive emotions that derail ...