Price matters. Terms matter. But business negotiations still move through people, and people rarely react only to the spreadsheet in front of them.
The ABN lesson on core interests is simple: beneath the stated position, your counterpart is usually protecting something human. If you can identify that interest, you can lower resistance without weakening your commercial ask.
Positions are not the whole story
A buyer may say, “Your price is too high.” A supplier may say, “We cannot support that payment term.” Those are positions. They are useful, but they are incomplete.
Underneath the position may be a concern about control, recognition, internal credibility, role clarity, or partnership risk. If you treat the stated position as the whole negotiation, you may push harder on the wrong problem.
The five interests to watch
In the curriculum, we use five core interests from Getting to Yes: autonomy, appreciation, affiliation, role, and status.
Autonomy means people want to feel they have choice. Appreciation means they want their effort acknowledged. Affiliation means they want to feel like part of a working relationship. Role means they want their responsibility respected. Status means they want to feel significant in the conversation.
None of this requires fake warmth or soft negotiating. It requires accuracy. You are trying to understand what pressure your counterpart is feeling so you can frame your ask in a way they can actually accept.
Use interests before pressure
Before a meaningful negotiation, ask yourself: Which interest is likely sensitive for this person? Are they protecting authority? Trying to look credible internally? Worried that your proposal makes them look like they lost control?
Then adjust the framing. Give choices when autonomy matters. Recognize effort when appreciation matters. Respect their role before asking for movement. Small shifts in language can reduce friction and make the commercial discussion more productive.
Practical takeaway: If a reasonable proposal is getting unreasonable resistance, look for the core interest being threatened.
Want the framework behind this? Download the free 5 Laws of Negotiation ebook: 5laws.negotiationsacademy.com
