The deals that closed easiest were always the ones I stopped gripping so tightly. I'd notice it in myself, the subtle shift from genuine service to desperate need, and the other person would notice it too. Something would change in the room. The conversation that had been flowing would start to feel transactional. And the harder I tried to make it happen, the further it seemed to slip.
There's a state I've learned to aim for that sounds contradictory but isn't. Full commitment to the outcome, zero attachment to whether it happens. I know what I want. I'm clear about it. I'm taking action toward it. And I'm simultaneously at peace with whatever actually unfolds. Not apathetic, that would be the opposite error. Fully engaged, but not clenching.
The reason this works, I think, is that attachment creates distortion. When I need something to happen a particular way, I stop seeing clearly. I miss information that doesn't fit my desired outcome. I push when I should pull. I speak when I should listen. The attachment itself becomes interference in the signal. Releasing it doesn't mean caring less. It means seeing more. And seeing more usually produces better results than forcing could.