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On March 22, WISE Greater Raleigh hosted its annual Power Play Panel, featuring Women who Negotiate. The signature event brought together women from across the sports industry to share their expertise in negotiating.

Led by moderator Kristi Butler, Principal Program Manager, Sports Marketing & Activation at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the panel discussed how to make negotiation less intimidating by preparing, forming key relationships, knowing the players involved, and identifying what levers are available on both sides. 

A key point discussed by the panel was the importance of relationships. They emphasized that negotiation is always a team sport and asking for help, finding connections, and forming meaningful bonds beyond the negotiating table can make or break a deal. 

The panel noted that not every deal should be made. It's important to identify guard rails and know when to walk away. Getting a "no" is better than making a bad deal. 
Despite being experts in their fields, our panelists also talked about how negotiating on their own behalf is still tricky. They encouraged attendees to push through the discomfort to make the ask and build champions to advocate on their behalf. 

Thank you to our panelists! 

Courtney Birtles - Teamworks - VP & General Manager - North America Pro
Sara Daniel - Carolina Hurricanes - Senior VP Ticket and Premium Sales
Jez Lubenetski - Wasserman - Senior VP, Global Head of Consulting

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