Patrick Griffin: Partner
Negotiation Trainer Patrick Griffin
Negotiation Skills Expertise
Patrick is a lifelong negotiator, beginning as a teen during frequent visits to New York City. Growing up in a suburb of the city, Patrick and his friends would compete to strike the best deals with street vendors for knock-off sunglasses and other cheap wares. He was particularly drawn to the strategy and deal-making, going so far as to keep different amounts of cash in each pocket to avoid tipping his hand. Back home, he and his friends would routinely launch seasonal businesses, like selling used golf balls or snow shoveling services, and use those same negotiation skills to make it worthwhile.
After studying finance in undergrad, Patrick landed a role negotiating large sales contracts in the debt markets in New York where he quickly proved his mettle. He developed a reputation for being hungry, asking for more work and eventually absorbing the functions of an entire commercial team servicing complex debt instruments during the 2008 systemic financial crisis.
After leaving Wall Street, Patrick broadened his expertise, shifting into community banking and earning a graduate degree. Continuing to push himself, Patrick became a published co-author, fractional CFO, entrepreneur and community leader, working closely with several not-for-profits.
Over his career, Patrick has negotiated over $1B in sales with global financial institutions, specializing in complex and novel debt instruments totaling nearly $1T.
Trained in Negotiation Consulting and Business Management
After starting his professional career, Patrick received formal negotiation training for the first time, and it lit a fire in him. Using this combination of formal negotiation training and learned skills, Patrick distinguished himself by demonstrating the benefits of internal and external negotiations, restructuring sales contracts to save cost while optimizing price and market share.
When he moved out of the city for family reasons and into community banking, Patrick was finding fewer opportunities to negotiate professionally. So, in 2017, he developed curriculum based on his experience and training, and began teaching negotiation to entrepreneurs, executives and professional service organizations for the love of the art. Since then, he has trained professionals across industries in how to leverage negotiations for joint value creation, highlighting relational techniques that go beyond the transactional.
Negotiation Career Highlights
Fractional CFO, providing strategic guidance and fundraising for several mid-sized companies and start-ups. He has worked with clients ranging from retail operations, chemical labs, real estate development and tech manufacturing.
Moody’s, Director – Global Account Strategy – Working with international and global banks and negotiating financial intelligence and analytics SaaS solutions
M&T Bank, Relationship Manager – Business and Professional Banking. Developed and managed new and existing business relationships throughout Central New York. Trusted adviser negotiating with branch partners and product specialists as well as clients to meet their financial and operational needs. In this role, Patrick continued to be drawn towards more complex opportunities and was the go-to RM for negotiating and financing acquisitions.
Moody’s Investors Service, AVP with strategic responsibilities. Primarily focused on negotiating non-traditional ABS and Canadian securitizations. Created a new product resulting in widespread market adoption and a $6MM annuity. Part of a hand-picked small team focused on communicating MIS’ value to the markets. Significant participation in negotiating global projects and efforts.
Education & Certification
Bachelor of Science, Stony Brook University
Masters Business Administration, Finance and Entrepreneurship, Syracuse University – Martin J. Whitman School of Management
Co-Author – Working Capital Management: Concepts and Strategies in collaboration with editors at American University, Penn State and Syracuse University
Family and Interests
In his personal time, Patrick is a proud husband and father of three. He is an avid outdoorsman, cook and hobbyist musician known for his “wall of instruments” on Zoom. So far only one of his children shows a natural skill for negotiating, but there’s still time.
