Michael Zieba. The Negotiator's Negotiator.
Meet the founder
I believe that success in negotiation is not a matter of chance; it’s the predictable outcome of deliberate preparation, planning, and engagement. These methods have become the foundation of the BNA Negotiation Matrix, which I have mastered and taught in 40 countries to sales and purchasing professionals, business owners, project managers, executives, leaders, and commercial negotiators. Now, I want to share these powerful strategies with you to help you develop unparalleled negotiation capabilities. Be sure to take full advantage of them.
THE NEGOTIATOR'S JOURNEY
It Started With a Question That Wouldn't Go Away.
Twenty years ago, I noticed something.
In every organisation I worked with, every industry I encountered, every deal room I observed - there were always two types of negotiators.
The first type were smart, experienced, commercially aware. They knew their numbers. They understood the business. They prepared well.
And yet, consistently, they left value on the table.
They conceded too early. They accepted terms they should have challenged. They came out of high-stakes negotiations having given more than they needed to - and they didn't quite know why.
The second type were different.
They walked into the same rooms, faced the same pressure, dealt with the same difficult counterparts - and they won. Consistently. Predictably. Almost effortlessly.
The question that drove everything: what did the second group know that the first group didn't?
The Answer Wasn't What I Expected
It wasn't charisma. It wasn't aggression. It wasn't some innate gift for reading people.
The difference was simple - and it was replicable.
The best negotiators had a **system**.
Not a set of tactics. Not a list of techniques. A complete, structured approach that covered every phase of a negotiation - before the conversation, in the room, and after the deal was done.
They knew how to map leverage points most negotiators never saw. They knew exactly when to move and when to hold. They could handle pressure tactics without flinching - because they'd anticipated them before they walked in the door.
And the critical insight: **this wasn't talent. It was trainable.**
That discovery became the foundation of everything I built - and eventually became the **BNA Negotiation Matrix™*
20 Years. 40 Countries. One Consistent Result.
Since founding Business Negotiation Academy, I have taken that system to organisations around the world.
I have designed and delivered customised negotiation training and consulting for some of the world's most prominent companies:
**Ecolab | KBC Group | Novartis | Vodafone | Adidas Group | Pfizer | Takeda | Network Rail | NGA HR | Qatar Foundation | TomTom | Telefonica | Mars** - and many more.
Across procurement teams protecting billions in spend. Across sales teams fighting for every point of margin. Across leadership teams navigating the most complex, high-value deals of their careers.
The methodology travels. The results follow.
What's Poor Negotiation Actually Costing You?
Here's a number worth sitting with.
If your organisation is losing just £200,000 a year through poor negotiation - unnecessary discounts, contracts not challenged, value conceded under pressure - that's £2M over a decade.
If that number is £500,000 a year - across a procurement function, a sales team, a leadership group - that's £5 million over ten years.
Not lost in a single bad deal. Lost quietly. Incrementally. Deal by deal, year by year.
The cost of not negotiating well is silent. It doesn't show up as a line item.
But it compounds. And it's entirely preventable.
Why This Still Matters - After 20 Years.
I could have built a business that ran generic training days, charged day rates, and called it done.
I didn't.
Because the problem I set out to solve - organisations leaving value on the table in every commercial conversation - is still everywhere.
The average procurement professional still accepts the first counteroffer more often than not.
The average sales professional still discounts before being asked.
The average leader still enters high-stakes negotiations without a structured game plan.
That's why BNA exists. That's why the BNA Negotiation Matrix™ exists.
Not to give people more tips.
To give them the system that changes how they negotiate - permanently.
What Clients Say
"Michael made the course very interactive and used a variety of different approaches in his teaching. He is clearly very knowledgeable with regard to negotiation. I am tough to impress. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the session and gained a lot of valuable learning."
— Kevin Rayment, Reliability Process Manager, Network Rail
"After attending, I applied the learned techniques in a tough negotiation with a client and managed to secure favourable terms - improving margins and securing 31 additional days of work and over $10,000 in new revenue."
— Nicole Cunha, Project Manager, NGA HR New Zealand
“The customer has signed the biggest CR in the history of our company - $5.3M. Thank you very much Michael!”
— Kathleen Leonard - North America VP, NGA HR
Work with Michael
Negotiation Training
Bespoke, customised training programmes for procurement, sales, and leadership teams. Delivered virtually or face-to-face. Built around your categories, your deals, your challenges.
Negotiation Consulting
Strategic advice and deal-specific support for high-stakes negotiations. We work alongside your team - before, during, and after the negotiation - to maximise outcomes.
Negotiation Coaching
One-to-one and group coaching for professionals who want to build negotiation capability for the long term. Deal-specific game plans. Real situations. Measurable results.