Natalie Reynolds is one of the most respected names in negotiation today. As a bestselling author, founder of a globally recognised negotiation training firm, and Honorary Visiting Professor at a leading business school, Reynolds has dedicated her career to dismantling the myths around deal-making — and replacing them with something far more effective: intelligence, flexibility, and genuine human understanding.
Who Is Natalie Reynolds?
Natalie Reynolds is the Founder and CEO of advantageSPRING, a specialist negotiation training company working with corporate clients around the world. A barrister by training, she spent 12 years in roles across the public sector and central government before moving to work as a Commercial Director for a FTSE 100 company. That rare combination — legal rigour, government strategy, and corporate commercial experience — gave Reynolds a uniquely grounded perspective on what negotiation actually looks like in the real world.
Before founding advantageSPRING, she worked for one of her now competitors delivering commercial negotiation training to executives across Europe and North America. The experience sharpened her understanding of what was missing in traditional negotiation training: empathy, adaptability, and a framework that worked for everyone — not just the loudest voice in the room.
The Mission Behind advantageSPRING
In 2013, Natalie Reynolds founded advantageSPRING to provide negotiation training that moves beyond the old-fashioned methods of aggression, dominance, and tough talk. The company quickly grew into a globally recognised firm, working with some of the world’s most influential organisations.
Reynolds and her team at advantageSPRING train large corporations, government departments, and organisations such as the UN and the Clinton Foundation. The breadth of that client list speaks to the universal applicability of her methods — whether the negotiation involves a boardroom contract, an international diplomatic agreement, or an individual asking for a pay rise.
We Have a Deal — Reynolds’ Bestselling Book
Natalie Reynolds is perhaps best known outside corporate circles for her bestselling book, We Have a Deal: How to Negotiate with Intelligence, Flexibility and Power. Published to wide acclaim, the book has become an essential read for professionals at every level.
Reynolds moves beyond the old-fashioned rules of deal-making to explore why people react the way they do in certain situations and how that knowledge can be used to achieve a good outcome. Rather than presenting negotiation as a zero-sum battle, she reframes it as a collaborative, psychologically nuanced process.
We Have a Deal goes beyond negotiation theory, exploring the unwritten rules of deal-making and influencing. Readers not only master the practical skills of negotiating like a professional, but also develop an appreciation of why it matters, and why others react the way they do in certain negotiating situations.
The book has resonated with a wide readership precisely because it speaks plainly to real situations. Asking for a promotion, closing a business partnership, resolving a dispute, or simply renegotiating a phone contract. Reynolds’ approach helps readers develop an intelligent and flexible mindset that empowers them to get the best deal, every time.
The DEALS™ Method: A Framework Anyone Can Use
At the heart of Natalie Reynolds’ teaching is the DEALS™ method — a five-step framework designed to make effective negotiation accessible to everyone, regardless of background or experience level.
Reynolds’ pioneering DEALS™ method seeks to empower everyone to confidently ask for and get what they want, whilst still maintaining credibility and relationships.
Her five-step DEALS method has helped individuals and organisations to excel at all kinds of negotiation, from clinching a pay rise to resolving disputes, from developing partnerships to shaking hands on multi-million dollar deals.
What makes the DEALS™ framework stand out is that it doesn’t rely on manipulation or brinkmanship. Reynolds teaches that the best negotiators are not those who dominate conversations; they are those who understand them.
Democratising Negotiation: The Make Your Ask Project
Beyond the boardroom, Natalie Reynolds has also turned her attention to social impact. Reynolds is on a mission to democratise world-class negotiation training and challenge the idea that the best negotiators are the loudest and most aggressive in the room.
This mission gave birth to the Make Your Ask Project, an initiative aimed at making professional-grade negotiation training available to people who would not ordinarily have access to it. The project’s goal is to gift one million courses and empower one million women to make their ask. For every course purchased, the project gifts the same course to a woman in need through one of its charity partners — a model that ties commercial success directly to social good.
Academic Influence and Media Presence
Reynolds’ authority extends well beyond training rooms and bookshelves. She is an Honorary Visiting Professor of Negotiation at Cass Business School, lending academic rigour to her practical expertise. She has appeared in the Guardian, Huffington Post, and Financial Times and has delivered seminars internationally.
Why Natalie Reynolds Matters
In a world where negotiation shapes careers, businesses, public policy, and international relationships. Having a credible evidence-based voice advocating for a smarter approach is invaluable. Natalie Reynolds offers that voice — and backs it up with decades of real-world experience, a rigorous academic platform. A genuine commitment to making great negotiation skills available to all.
Whether you encounter her through We Have a Deal, the DEALS™ framework, advantageSPRING’s training programmes, or the Make Your Ask Project. The message is consistent: negotiation is not about winning at someone else’s expense. It is about understanding, preparation, and the courage to ask — clearly, confidently, and intelligently.
For anyone looking to sharpen their negotiation skills, Natalie Reynolds is an outstanding place to start.
