[Verse 1] Sarah walks into the boardroom, budget on the line Three million for the servers, need to make them shine CEO says "Cut it down," vendors want their slice Time to play the poker game with tech's demanding price [Chorus] BATNA's your backup plan, know it before you start Listen first, then speak your truth, that's the winning art Anchor high, concede with grace, find the mutual ground B-A-T-N-A spells the way smart CTOs are found [Verse 2] Vendor says "Take it or leave it," but there's always room Pull out three competing bids, watch assumptions bloom "Help me understand your costs," opens up their books Collaboration beats confrontation, despite the dirty looks [Chorus] BATNA's your backup plan, know it before you start Listen first, then speak your truth, that's the winning art Anchor high, concede with grace, find the mutual ground B-A-T-N-A spells the way smart CTOs are found [Bridge] Stakeholders want everything, timeline's getting tight Frame it as a partnership, not a bitter fight "If we solve this puzzle together, here's what we both gain" Turn the zero-sum thinking into shared campaign [Verse 3] When emotions start to flare, take a cooling break Separate the person from the problem that's at stake Ask "What would success look like from your point of view?" Suddenly the adversary's working right with you [Chorus] BATNA's your backup plan, know it before you start Listen first, then speak your truth, that's the winning art Anchor high, concede with grace, find the mutual ground B-A-T-N-A spells the way smart CTOs are found [Outro] Every contract, every meeting, every budget call Master these four simple steps and you'll conquer them all
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