Have a plan

"Good hitters don't just go up and swing. They always have a plan. Call it an educated deduction. You visualize. You're like a good negotiator. You know what you have, you know what he has, then you try to work it out." –Dave Winfield

A plan. Negotiation. When you make a call, when you have a conversation, when you meet with that someone. Have an idea in your head about specifically what you want to have happen. What you want to say, what you want them to know about you, what you want to know about them, what you want them to do at the end. Baby steps or big huge giant leaps, move forweard and accomplish a goal that you set forth before the engagement. Have a quality at bat and you will be better off than when you went in.