The Invisible Game

Chapter 6Psyched Up or Psyched Out?

Repeated success in sales negotiations requires not only situational awareness and the knowledge of System 1 and System 2. You also need the power to change your own responses to situations, and at the same time, influence how others respond.

What kind of intuitive yet intentional responses would you like to have? After all, everyone wonders about ‘what if…?’ questions from time to time. What would you do if you won the lottery? What would you do if you won a prestigious award? The situations are not always fun or positive ones. What would you do if you needed to make a speech in front of 1,000 people after winning that award? Or far worse, what would you do if an intruder entered your home in the middle of the night?

The truth is that most people have absolutely no idea how they would really respond in those situations, regardless of what they might speculate or claim. This is especially true when the person has never experienced that situation.

Now imagine that you are out for a leisurely walk on a sunny afternoon and a stranger suddenly collapses nearby. What would you do? Kai's parents had an opportunity to find out on a late summer day in 2020. When a middle-aged woman fell unconscious near them, the woman's sister froze in panic. In the first critical moments, everyone else seemed paralyzed with inaction, including Kai's mother.

Kai's father, however, sprang into action.

His quick response and actions ultimately saved the woman's life ...