Negotiate Anything How I Lost a Once-in-a-Lifetime Deal with Stevie Wonder
Dec 24, 2025
Derrick Chevalier, Executive VP at Harrison Chevalier and bestselling author, shares his transformative journey from losing a once-in-a-lifetime deal with Stevie Wonder due to a moment of feigned expertise. He discusses the importance of authentic knowledge in negotiations and how his failure drove him to create the ICSEAR framework, focusing on mastering skills through competence. Derrick also explores the parallels between negotiation and jazz, emphasizing the need for harmony and creativity in high-pressure scenarios.
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The Deal That Changed His Career
- Derrick Chevalier lost a major sale with Stevie Wonder by pretending to know more than he did when evaluating speakers.
- That failure drove him to commit to real competence and ultimately changed his career trajectory.
Use ICSEAR To Build Competence
- Do follow the ICSEAR process to turn raw data into actionable expertise.
- Practice and teach each step so knowledge becomes immediate and usable in negotiations.
Information Isn't Knowledge
- Information alone is just data and not the same as knowledge or power.
- You must translate data into understanding and skill before it can influence outcomes.