Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery with Eirik Gislason

In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, I sit down with real estate executive, industry leader, and Inman 2026 Future Leader and 2025 RISMedia Real Estate Newsmaker Jillian Vaccaro to unpack what she calls the first negotiation: getting the client to choose you. We talk about how buyers and sellers form opinions about our value before the first conversation even begins, what clients are really hiring agents for in an age of instant information and AI, and why the small moments such as response time, questions, expectation-setting, listening - and even punctuation and grammar - can have an enormous impact on trust. We also explore the difference between "defending your fee" and actually communicating your value, and why great negotiation often isn't one dramatic move, but an accumulation of small moments that make it easier for someone to say yes.

And a quick reminder for our NYC real estate community: OWNING THE ROOM is happening October 15th from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM at the REBNY Training Facility at 570 Lexington Avenue. Presented by the Real Estate Board of New York and Archway Partners Coaching, the morning brings together 10 industry experts for three hours focused on communication, credibility, negotiation, and the skills agents need to build trust, influence decisions, and win business. The event is FREE for REBNY members, but space is limited.

Register today at https://events.blackthorn.io/00DHr0000074Na4MAE/share/events/owning-the-room-5a1caZAq8F3 .

Filmed as part of the Mastery of Real Estate (MORE) Network, powered by Brown Harris Stevens.

Subscribe to Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shear-line-negotiation-mastery-with-eirik-gislason/id1809006572

Host:

Eirik Gislason

bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/the-excelsior-team

linkedin.com/in/eirikgislason instagram.com/eiriktheexpert

archwaypartnersinc.com

Guest:

Jillian Vaccaro | @jillvacc

[email protected]

Sponsor:

Marc Lawrence of World Wide Land Transfer

worldwidelandtransfer.com

Brown Harris Stevens is one of the largest privately owned real estate brokerages in the country, with more than 40 offices across four states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida.

bhsusa.com

Here's the truth: not every deal is a polished success story with streamers and cake. Some limp over the finish line. Others never get there at all. And with contract cancellations at a three-year high, every deal is really a series of negotiations – some obvious, some subtle, and some that only reveal their importance in hindsight.

For the Season Three premiere of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, we're diving into the actual deals we do.

I'm joined by my Excelsior Team teammates Peter Ronningen and Brendan Williamson, along with everyone's favorite part-time co-host, Jay Billiet of Jay J. Billiet Interiors, to break down two real New York City real estate transactions from the inside out. We examine the relationships, decisions, emotional turning points, red flags, missed signals, pivots, and negotiation strategies that shaped what happened.

How much trust existed at the beginning? Where did leverage shift? Which important – or seemingly mundane – conversations changed the direction of the deal? And when things started going sideways, what influence, strategies, or tactics did the agents actually have to affect the outcome?

If you've ever wondered what separates the deals that survive from the ones that fall apart, this is the episode for you.

Filmed as part of the Mastery of Real Estate (MORE) Network, powered by Brown Harris Stevens.

Subscribe to Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shear-line-negotiation-mastery-with-eirik-gislason/id1809006572

Host:

Eirik Gislason

bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/the-excelsior-team

linkedin.com/in/eirikgislason instagram.com/eiriktheexpert

archwaypartnersinc.com

Guests:

Jay Billiet

Peter Ronningen

Brendan Williamson

Sponsor:

Marc Lawrence of World Wide Land Transfer

worldwidelandtransfer.com

Brown Harris Stevens is one of the largest privately owned real estate brokerages in the country, with more than 40 offices across four states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida.

bhsusa.com

The negotiation begins much earlier than you think. The question is: can you recognize it?

On this Season Two Finale episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, I'm joined by interior designer Glen Kinnaird, principal of Kinnaird Enterprises and founder of NYC Modern Home and NYC Modern Interior Design, for a fascinating conversation about the negotiations behind design. We talk about why Glen describes interior designers as "spatial therapists," how he navigates competing preferences between clients, advocates for his clients with contractors and vendors without creating unnecessary adversaries, manages budgets and shifting scope, and uses questions to uncover what clients really need, getting beyond what they initially say they want. At its heart, this conversation is about something much bigger than interior design: how great advisors use their expertise to strengthen someone else's decision rather than inserting their own.

Become one of Glen's nearly 50,000 followers on Instagram at @nycmodernhome, find him across social media by searching NYC Modern Home, or visit nycmodernhome.com.

A very special Season Two Finale THANK YOU to Lina Grace De Forca, Ray Parada, Matt Leone and the entire BHS Marketing Team, Bess Freedman, all of my incredible Season Two guests, and to ALL OF YOU who have made Shear Line successful. Thank you for listening, viewing, rating, and reviewing! See you in Season Three!

Filmed at Brown Harris Stevens' Studio 1873, Part of the Mastery of Real Estate (MORE) Network.

Subscribe to Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shear-line-negotiation-mastery-with-eirik-gislason/id1809006572

Host:

Eirik Gislason

bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/the-excelsior-team

linkedin.com/in/eirikgislason

instagram.com/eiriktheexpert

archwaypartnersinc.com

Guest:

Glen Kinnaird

https://www.nycmodernhome.com/

Sponsor:

Marc Lawrence of World Wide Land Transfer

worldwidelandtransfer.com

Brown Harris Stevens is one of the largest privately owned real estate brokerages in the country, with more than 40 offices across four states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida.

bhsusa.com

In this episode of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, Eirik Gislason sits down with Broadway, television, and touring performer Mike Cannon for a candid conversation about excellence, reinvention, rejection, and the true cost of pursuing success.

With more than 25 years of experience on stage and screen, Mike has appeared in Broadway productions and national tours including West Side Story, A Chorus Line, Aladdin, Mamma Mia!, and All Shook Up, and is known to television audiences as Detective Maldonado on Law & Order: Organized Crime. He is also the co-founder of The Broadway Edge and spent part of his career successfully navigating the world of real estate.

Together, Eirik and Mike explore what audiences do not see behind the performance: the discipline, sacrifice, uncertainty, feedback, rejection, and constant internal negotiation required to keep moving forward. They discuss knowing when to push, when to adapt, how to separate feedback from identity, and how to pursue ambition without allowing it to consume you.

This is a meaningful conversation for anyone navigating the messy middle of a career—working hard, questioning the path, and wondering whether the setbacks, pivots, and sacrifices are actually leading somewhere. Mike's story is a powerful reminder that success is rarely a straight line, and that excellence is built through competence, courage, humility, and the willingness to show up every day.

Filmed at Brown Harris Stevens' Studio 1873, Part of the Mastery of Real Estate (MORE) Network.

Subscribe to Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shear-line-negotiation-mastery-with-eirik-gislason/id1809006572

Host:

Eirik Gislason

bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/the-excelsior-team

linkedin.com/in/eirikgislason

instagram.com/eiriktheexpert

archwaypartnersinc.com

Guest:

Mike Cannon

https://thebroadwayedge.org

instagram.com/mikecannonofficial

Sponsor:

Marc Lawrence of World Wide Land Transfer

worldwidelandtransfer.com

Brown Harris Stevens is one of the largest privately owned real estate brokerages in the country, with more than 40 offices across four states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida.

bhsusa.com

In this special Season Two recap of Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery, Eirik Gislason is joined by two of his favorite guests: his daughters, Cici and Sydney Gislason.

Together, they revisit some of the season's most memorable conversations, topics, and negotiation lessons, exploring ideas about communication, confidence, trust, decision-making, preparation, relationships, and understanding the interests beneath the surface. Along the way, Cici and Sydney share their own perspectives, reactions, and takeaways, proving once again that children are insightful and intelligent negotiators—and that negotiation is everywhere.

To learn more about Eirik's negotiation training, coaching, courses, and resources through Archway Partners Coaching, visit www.archwaypartnersinc.com.

Filmed at Brown Harris Stevens' Studio 1873, Part of the Mastery of Real Estate (MORE) Network.

Subscribe to Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shear-line-negotiation-mastery-with-eirik-gislason/id1809006572

Host:

Eirik Gislason

bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/the-excelsior-team

linkedin.com/in/eirikgislason

instagram.com/eiriktheexpert

archwaypartnersinc.com

Sponsor:

Marc Lawrence of World Wide Land Transfer

worldwidelandtransfer.com

Brown Harris Stevens is one of the largest privately owned real estate brokerages in the country, with more than 40 offices across four states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida.

bhsusa.com

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 systems create different pressure points for buyers, sellers, and agents. While the rules and procedures may look very different from the U.S. market, the human side of negotiation remains remarkably familiar. Buyers still worry about overpaying. Sellers still fear leaving money on the table. Everyone wants useful information, confidence, clarity, and the ability to make a good decision under pressure. This episode examines the "negotiation architecture" of Australian real estate and reveals what professionals in any market can learn about leverage, emotion, trust, and decision-making when the stakes are high and the information is imperfect. Filmed at Brown Harris Stevens' Studio 1873, Part of the Mastery of Real Estate (MORE) Network. Subscribe to Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shear-line-negotiation-mastery-with-eirik-gislason/id1809006572 Host: Eirik Gislason bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/the-excelsior-team linkedin.com/in/eirikgislason instagram.com/eiriktheexpert archwaypartnersinc.com Guests: Jared Antin bhsusa.com/bhs-leadership/jared-antin linkedin.com/newsletters/7327452203596615680?… Haesley Cush instagram.com/haesley?… instagram.com/rwnewfarm instagram.com/raywhitecollective Sponsor: Marc Lawrence of World Wide Land Transfer worldwidelandtransfer.com Brown Harris Stevens is one of the largest privately owned real estate brokerages in the country, with more than 40 offices across four states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida. bhsusa.com

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 mechanics behind successful transactions and the relationships, trust, judgment, and execution that make them possible.

With more than three decades of experience across real estate, development, title, capital, and investment, Marc brings a rare perspective on where the industry has been and where it is heading. Known for his Marc My Words presence on LinkedIn, where he has built a following of 20,000 people, Marc has made a name for himself by connecting capital, deals, and people. In this episode, we dig into the relationship side of real estate, the rise of AI as a true business disruption, and how technology will change operations, staffing, training, margins, client expectations, and the way professionals prepare for negotiation. The big takeaway: the future does not belong to relationships or AI. It belongs to the professionals who know how to use both.

Filmed at Brown Harris Stevens' Studio 1873, Part of the Mastery of Real Estate (MORE) Network.

Subscribe to Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shear-line-negotiation-mastery-with-eirik-gislason/id1809006572

Host:

Eirik Gislason

https://www.bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/the-excelsior-team

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eirikgislason/

https://www.instagram.com/eiriktheexpert

https://archwaypartnersinc.com/

Guest:

Marc Lawrence

Sponsor:

Marc Lawrence of World Wide Land Transfer

https://www.worldwidelandtransfer.com/

Brown Harris Stevens is one of the largest privately owned real estate brokerages in the country, with more than 40 offices across four states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida.

https://bhsusa.com/

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 property; and evaluating unrenovated properties in a market shaped by inflation and rising renovation costs.

Through the lens of collaborative negotiation, Eirik and Jay explore the interests beneath the surface and the strategies that help create clarity and better outcomes in today's increasingly complex market.

If you have questions for Eirik and Jay for an upcoming Mail Bag episode, please email your questions to Eirik at [email protected].

Filmed at Brown Harris Stevens' Studio 1873, Part of the Mastery of Real Estate (MORE) Network.

Subscribe to Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shear-line-negotiation-mastery-with-eirik-gislason/id1809006572

Host:

Eirik Gislason

https://www.bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/the-excelsior-team

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eirikgislason/

https://www.instagram.com/eiriktheexpert

https://archwaypartnersinc.com/

Guest:

Jay Billiet

Sponsor:

Stage and Fold | https://stageandfold.com/

Brown Harris Stevens is one of the largest privately owned real estate brokerages in the country, with more than 40 offices across four states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida.

https://bhsusa.com/

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 returning guests, Ben Willig, D.A.D. at Brown Harris Stevens, for a free-flowing conversation on real-world negotiation strategy and the conversations agents are having right now behind closed doors. It's candid, unscripted, insightful, occasionally chaotic – enjoy!

Filmed at Brown Harris Stevens' Studio 1873, Part of the Mastery of Real Estate (MORE) Network.

Subscribe to Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shear-line-negotiation-mastery-with-eirik-gislason/id1809006572

Connect with Eirik Gislason:

https://www.bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/the-excelsior-team

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eirikgislason/

https://www.instagram.com/eiriktheexpert

https://archwaypartnersinc.com/

Guest:

Ben Willig

https://www.bhsusa.com/bhs-leadership/ben-willig

Sponsor:

Stage and Fold | https://stageandfold.com/

Brown Harris Stevens is one of the largest privately owned real estate brokerages in the country, with more than 40 offices across four states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida.

https://bhsusa.com/

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 your position, it often reveals more than intended and gives away control in the process. Used strategically and intentionally, silence becomes your advantage, creates clarity, slows emotional reactions, and compels the other side to share more than they planned. It establishes control and signals confidence without saying a word. This episode is a powerful reminder that the space between words is often where the real conversation begins, and where the strongest negotiators separate themselves.

Filmed at Brown Harris Stevens' Studio 1873, Part of the Mastery of Real Estate (MORE) Network.

Subscribe to Shear Line: Negotiation Mastery

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shear-line-negotiation-mastery-with-eirik-gislason/id1809006572

Connect with Eirik Gislason:

https://www.bhsusa.com/real-estate-agent/the-excelsior-team

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eirikgislason/

https://www.instagram.com/eiriktheexpert

https://archwaypartnersinc.com/

Guest:

Andres Perea-Garzon

Sponsor:

Stage and Fold | https://stageandfold.com/

Brown Harris Stevens is one of the largest privately owned real estate brokerages in the country, with more than 40 offices across four states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida.

https://bhsusa.com/