The Salesman Who Lacked Courage - A Negotiating Story from 1907

Anxiety in negotiating is timeless. In this episode, I tell a story written in 1907 about a salesperson who lacked courage as it relates to delivering and negotiating price. It has so many lessons that are still so applicable today.

This 115+ year old problem matters more today than ever. Today, we're still treating negotiating like it's the peak of the selling engagement, versus the early milestone it truly is. We are taught to defend, explain, and concede, eroding trust right at the goal line instead of negotiating on a sound foundation that builds trust.

If negotiation feels like the moment everything goes sideways, this episode will help you understand why and how to change it.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 - Four Levers Negotiating - chock full of history quotes, too...pre-order now. 

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past (and can also be found @saleshistorian on X, too)
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.