Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery with Eirik Gislason

In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, Eirik Gislason goes international with guests Haesley Cush and Jared Antin for a fascinating look at real estate negotiation through the lens of the Australian market. From auctions and public competition to buyer representation, access to data, price guidance, underquoting, transparency, and trust, this conversation explores how different market...

In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, Eirik Gislason sits down with Marc Lawrence, Co-Founder of the New York office of World Wide Land Transfer, longtime real estate attorney, broker, investor, title professional, and industry connector. Marc and World Wide Land Transfer are also proud sponsors of the podcast, making this conversation especially meaningful as we explore the mechanic...

In this special Mail Bag episode, Eirik Gislason is joined once again by fan-favorite part-time co-host Jay Billiet as they celebrate a podcast milestone and tackle some of the most thought-provoking questions submitted by their audience, including the ongoing battle over Clear Cooperation, Compass, Zillow, and private listings; negotiating with sellers who stand to lose money on the sale of their...

What happens when two skilled negotiators sit down live at the The Real Deal NYC Forum with no script, no agenda, and a hot mic? You get strategy, best practices, deal insights… and apparently an impromptu Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation. In this special live episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery recorded at the Metropolitan Pavilion, Eirik welcomes back one of the podcast's favorite retu...

What if the most powerful move you could make in a negotiation is saying nothing at all? In this episode of  Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery , we welcome Andres Perea-Garzon, luxury real estate expert and Brown Harris Stevens colleague, for a conversation that challenges one of the most common instincts in any high-stakes interaction: the need to fill the silence. That instinct doesn't just weaken...

In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, Eirik Gislason sits down with NYU Stern Professor Gavin Kilduff to explore the powerful role of rivalry in negotiation, competition, and decision-making. While most professionals think of competition as a function of market conditions, pricing, and deal structure, Kilduff's research reveals something deeper. Competition is relational. When you in...

In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, Eirik Gislason welcomes back returning guest Jacob Feldman for a valuable and practical conversation about one of the most overlooked skills in negotiation: the ability to evaluate the quality of the information we gather before we build strategy on top of it. In real estate and in life, we are constantly surrounded by half-finished stories, load...

In this episode of  Shear Line , Eirik sits down with one of the true icons of New York City real estate, Richard Grossman, for a conversation about collaboration, leadership, growth, and what it really takes to build a lasting career in this business. Richard has mentored generations of agents and shaped the industry through decades of strategic leadership, and this conversation is packed with wi...

On this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery , host Eirik Gislason sits down with Matthew Wynter of Brown Harris Stevens and host of the Boro4Boro podcast for a powerful conversation on self-efficacy, mindset, and performance. Together, they explore how limiting beliefs quietly shape outcomes, the discipline required to reframe them, and practical strategies agents can use to build confidenc...

We spend a lot of time talking about outcomes in negotiation. Price. Terms. Wins and concessions. But long before any deal is signed, something far more powerful is already shaping the negotiation and the results: company and team culture. In this episode, recorded live at the Inman Conference in New York City, I'm joined by Mike Morgan, a "culture warrior" whose career spans leadership roles at W...

Bullying isn't negotiation. It's intimidation dressed up as competence, and in real estate it shows up as threats, bluster, gaslighting, ultimatums, and false deadlines designed to make you hesitate, second guess yourself, or avoid conflict. In Episode 202, Eirik and Jay break down why these tactics work so well: your nervous system reacts before your logic does, and that split-second hesitation b...

Welcome to Season 2 of Shear Line! Why do some negotiators stay calm, clear, and effective under pressure, while others get reactive, burned out, or settle for less? In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, host Eirik Gislason explores a powerful but often overlooked truth: mindset, emotional regulation, and wellness are not personal bonus features, they're professional strategic advant...

As Season One of  Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery  comes to a close and we wrap up 2025, this final episode explores a simple but powerful idea. Value is not absolute. It is relative. In this holiday conversation, Eirik is joined by Jay Billiet of Jay J. Billiet Interiors, as well as Peter Ronningen and Brendan Williamson of the Excelsior Team at BHS, to examine gift giving as a real world case st...

When clients hit that invisible wall of uncertainty, doubt, or overwhelm, you can feel it — even if they never say it. Their confidence collapses, decision-making slows, and suddenly, forward momentum turns into hesitation, second-guessing, or silence.   In this week's episode, we sit down with negotiation strategist and Executive Director at Brown Harris Stevens, Jared Antin, to unpack a system d...

In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, we're live from the NYC Real Estate Expo in Manhattan breaking down one of the most valuable currencies in real estate and negotiation: CREDIBILITY. Before social media, before likes and follows, Aristotle reminded us that persuasion comes down to three things — emotion, logic, and credibility. And while the platforms have changed, the principle...

In this episode, Eirik Gislason and returning co-host Jay Billiet explore six unforgettable real-world negotiations, from a Fort Greene townhouse won through creativity and trust, to an under-qualified renter with an angry guarantor, and even Southwest Airlines' unconventional value play. Each story reveals a core truth about negotiation: value is a matter of perception. Effective negotiating is a...

When the Plan Falls Apart – How Do You Respond? In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, host Eirik Gislason explores the power of adaptability -- the negotiation skill that turns pressure into problem ‑ solving and fear into forward motion. From the legendary Apollo 13 mission and Gene Kranz's famous question, "What do we have that works?", to the daily pivots real ‑ estate agents face...

Leadership and negotiation have traveled remarkably parallel paths - from rigid, top-down authority and win-lose battles to empathy, collaboration, and trust as the true multipliers of success. In this episode, Eirik sits down with Ben Willig - Managing Director of Agent Growth & Strategy at Brown Harris Stevens, founder of The Willig Collaborative. Together, they unpack how today's best leaders e...

In negotiation, the person with the best intel wins. But here's the catch: most of us walk into the room ready to convince instead of discover. In this episode of  Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery , host Eirik Gislason sits down with industry leader Teresa Stephenson to explore the art - and science - of ceaseless curiosity and strategic questioning. Drawing inspiration from Deepak Malhotra and Max...

In negotiations and sales, data informs but stories inspire action. In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, host Eirik Gislason sits down with NYC-based writer, podcaster, actor, and master storyteller James Scully to explore how storytelling elevates persuasion, builds trust, and transforms client conversations. James also shares insights from his work across theater, podcasting, and...

In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, Eirik welcomes back the insightful and dynamic Jacob Feldman, returning from the show's most popular episode to date. Together, they delve deeper into the intersection of logical reasoning and emotional intelligence in negotiation—unpacking how to anticipate objections before they surface, decode the language cues that reveal hidden concerns, sep...

Shear Line is back with a very special episode where we ask—what if the key to becoming a more skilled negotiator is buried somewhere in your much younger self? Joining Eirik once again is our sharp and fun co-host Jay Billiet from Jay J. Billiet Interior Design, and two very special guests: Eirik's daughters, Cici and Sydney Gislason! Together, this dynamic crew explores how children naturally di...

The long-anticipated, much-debated FARE Act is officially in effect as of June 11—and with it comes a significant shift in how renters, landlords, and agents define value, representation, and advocacy. In this episode, we explore a central question: did the role of the real estate agent just become less essential—or more? We unpack the ripple effects of the new law—from rising rents and restructur...

When it comes to negotiation, or unlocking value in any aspect of our lives, self-confidence and competence are a powerful pair of pins in the lock—and neither works as well without the other. Confidence gives us the courage to speak up, hold our ground, and project strength. Competence gives you the substance to back it up. Together, they create a presence that's hard to ignore and even harder to...

In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery with Eirik Gislason , we examine a fundamental principle that quietly influences nearly every negotiation and decision we encounter:  self-interest . At its core, negotiation is about alignment—and yet, many of our most critical conversations are undermined by a mismatch between  actual  and  perceived self-interest. Nowhere is this more evident t...