"He who has the gold makes the rules." 

--Donald Trump

 I can never thank enough the people with whom I had made some deals. And, of course, I look forward to closing more deals with them in the future. 

But believe it or not, I had never imagined myself closing a deal to the tune of tens of thousands of pesos. It was simply out of my horizon during my college days.  

When I was still in third year college, though, I was already making deals with the school administrators, faculty members, contractors, and printers. They were small transactions, of course, but as time went on, the deals I made became bigger and bigger.  

By the time I chaired Career Avenue 2005 Conference and Expo, one of the most comprehensive career and job fairs in the Philippines, I realized that I was already capable of doing things naturally and maturely. 

I could already make sponsorship deals with account managers, vice presidents, and other decision-makers on an equal footing. 

To be successful in making deals, of course, you need excellent communication skills and a good strategy. This was something I had to work on for a long time-and continues to work on to this day-before I became confident enough of being good enough at it. 

When I talk about communication, I usually talk about three things: listening, channel, and speaking. The reason why I consider listening as a top priority in communication is that it usually gives the listener an advantage. 

I routinely make listening my entry point in communicating what I have to say. I directly apply one of Stephen Covey’s teachings in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: “Seek first to understand, and then be understood.”  

In short, by listening well, I automatically make myself one step ahead. I would know where to position myself, give a great takeoff and take a good shot from there. One thing I learned is that it is always important to use your “leverage” when making a deal.