“What issues should we address in our first meeting or call? Should we tackle the toughest issues first, knowing the other issues will be irrelevant if we can’t resolve these? Or should we develop some early momentum on the easier issues, and then address the...
“Delaware Closed” read the large sign over the highway at the Delaware border. And for an hour and a half, it appeared true. As Herb Cohen described in his book, You Can Negotiate Anything, lines of cars “squealed to a halt. Vehicles pulled off the highway. Confused...
Good Negotiating: Step into your Counterpart’s Shoes “I just don’t understand,” John said. “How can they take that position? If you analyze this issue logically and evaluate all the relevant factors, they should be willing to accept our offer.” What’s the...
“I know it’s critical to view the negotiation process through your counterpart’s eyes,” a top executive at a multibillion dollar company recently told me. “But I’m not sure exactly how to do this. How can we set aside our own views and biases and really get into our...
I was surprised. We had developed a strategic negotiation plan and researched and considered a variety of possible reactions to our proposal. Yet his initial approach caught us off guard. In fact, it was inconsistent with our evaluation of his long-term interests and...
I recently sat in on a lecture from Rob Galford, co-author of “The Trusted Advisor,” which explains how to achieve professional success by earning clients’ trust and confidence. Since all negotiations involve trust, and a broad view of negotiation includes dealing...
“What should I do if my counterpart appears to act irrationally, or if their behavior just doesn’t make sense?” This possibility is extremely difficult to address as the negotiation research is dominated by how folks act and react in rational, logical ways. So if...
“The agreement you signed gave you 14 days to return the device and avoid a $175 Early Termination Fee. It’s now 18 days and I can’t waive the fee,” the customer relations person told me last Saturday. “But I never would have ordered it had your colleagues – two of...
I am in the midst of a contentious multi-party negotiation and have found myself occasionally reminding my colleagues of the value of the relationship with the other parties. While this value might appear obvious, we sometimes lose sight of the long-term as we focus...
