Negotiation Is Communication: A Masterclass for Product Managers with Neta Luxenburg Naamani
Host: Eyal David · Guest: Neta Luxenburg Naamani · About the host
Negotiation is, above all, goal-based communication, and most of the day we conduct it without noticing — especially product managers dealing with developers. According to Neta Luxenburg Naamani, VP of Business Development at Ashtrom, the mistake is entering with a finished solution and zero questions; staying curious and admitting you hold only half the picture yields a better outcome.
In this episode
- Negotiation is goal-based communication — and most of the day we conduct it without noticing. The most dangerous negotiation is the one we don't even know is taking place.
- You enter every conversation with only half the picture; the other half — the information you lack — sits with the other side. That's why the goal of 'leaving with zero questions' is a mistake — instead, ABC: Always Be Curious.
- Prepare the situation, not just the pitch: who's in the room, what's the right forum, the right time of day, what happened to the other side a moment before you walked in, and who might object so you can bring them on board in advance.
- 'You're here for tomorrow, not for this meeting' — negotiation isn't about winning but about saving resources: time, money, and above all emotion. That's why relationships and trust inside the organization are critical.
- When you get a 'no,' don't treat it as a battle — understand the 'thickness of the no' and where the big rocks in development are. Early, staged involvement builds commitment and consistency, because people tend to stay consistent with a small 'yes' they already gave.
Listen to this episode
Episode Description
Neta Luxenburg Naamani, VP of Business Development at Ashtrom Properties, has spent 13 years negotiating land deals worth hundreds of millions of shekels, and also gives lectures and coaches managers through negotiation, difficult conversations, and positioning. In this episode — a kind of short masterclass — she translates the world of negotiation directly into the product manager's work with the development team: why negotiation is first of all communication, why you always hold only half the picture, and why in the end it all rests on relationships, trust, and curiosity — no tricks, no manipulation.
Chapters
- 0:00 · Intro & getting acquainted
- 1:03 · Who is Neta — 13 years at Ashtrom, land deals worth hundreds of millions
- 2:25 · Negotiation is first of all goal-based communication
- 3:37 · You only have half the picture
- 5:51 · Why 'zero questions' is a mistake — Always Be Curious
- 9:15 · What happened to the other side a moment before you walked in
- 11:31 · Prepare the situation, not just the pitch
- 14:50 · We're here for tomorrow
- 15:11 · Negotiation is about saving resources — above all, emotion
- 17:05 · Why we're influenced by those similar to us and whom we like
- 20:57 · What to do when you get a 'no'
- 26:06 · The combination-deal story — from battle to shared brainstorm
- 30:17 · Consistency & commitment — why a small 'yes' changes everything
- 31:00 · Practical tips to apply tomorrow
- 34:02 · Where to learn this — from Shakla veTarya to Harvard
- 36:39 · Book recommendations for negotiation
Full transcript with speakers and timestamps
Selected quotes
“First of all, negotiation is communication. Above all, negotiation is goal-based communication.”
“You need to enter the meeting curious, because otherwise you already know everything in your own head.”
“In the end, negotiation isn't about achieving the outcome. It's about saving resources — time, money, and above all emotion.”
Questions & answers
Why is 'walking into a meeting with zero questions' a mistake?
Because the goal of 'zero questions' makes you stop being curious and assume the whole truth lies with you. Neta calls it ABC — Always Be Curious. You only hold half the picture; the other half, the information you don't have, sits with the other side, and without it you won't reach the best solution.
How do you properly prepare for a meeting with the development team?
Beyond preparing the pitch and the presentation, prepare the situation itself: who is the right forum, the right time of day (around 10–11 a.m., when people are most alert), what happened to the other side just before you walked in, and who might object so it's worth getting them on board in advance. Sometimes it's worth sitting one-on-one first with whoever will resist, and only then with everyone.
What do you do when you get a 'no' from development?
Don't treat the 'no' as resistance or a battle. Stay in a curious attitude and mutual trust, probe the 'thickness of the no,' and identify the big rocks — what's truly cardinal and what can be scaled down or simplified. If you put the other side in the position of being 'wrong,' their goal is no longer the project but proving they're right, instead of solving a shared problem together.
Where can you seriously learn negotiation, and which books are recommended?
Neta studied at the school for the negotiation professions 'Shakla veTarya' in Israel (ten months, a day and a half a week) and afterward took a negotiation course at Harvard. She recommends three books: 'Never Split the Difference' by Chris Voss, 'Influence' by Robert Cialdini, and 'Good for You, Great for Me' by Lawrence Susskind.
People & resources mentioned
People
- Neta Luxenburg Naamani — VP Business Development at Ashtrom Properties
- Eyal David
- Chris Voss
- Robert Cialdini
- Lawrence Susskind
Companies & orgs
- Ashtrom Properties
- Shakla veTarya — School for the Negotiation Professions
- Harvard
Books & media
- Never Split the Difference — Chris Voss
- Influence — Robert Cialdini
- Good for You, Great for Me — Lawrence Susskind
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