Feigned Surprise Clears Out Soft Positions

Feigned surprise is a simple negotiation tactic: react calmly to an aggressive number, then let [...]

Secondary Asks Keep Value on the Table

Secondary asks give you tradeable value when the headline ask changes. Prepare them before the [...]

Use Ranges Without Anchoring Against Yourself

Ranges can preserve flexibility in negotiation, but only if the low end still protects your [...]

Selective Transparency: Be Clear Without Giving Away Your Leverage

Selective transparency helps negotiators share enough to solve the business problem without giving away deadlines, [...]

Use Labeling to Put the Real Concern on the Table

When a negotiation stalls, labeling helps you name the likely concern without accusing your counterpart [...]

Leverage Moves During the Negotiation

Leverage is not fixed. It shifts as timing, pressure, alternatives, and information change. Here is [...]

Use Loss Aversion to Protect the Trade

Loss aversion can stall a good deal when one side feels they are giving something [...]

Use Higher Authority Without Losing the Deal

Higher authority can protect you from rushed commitments, but only if you introduce it early, [...]

Policy Is a Starting Point, Not a Wall

When someone says something is against policy, the useful move is not arguing with the [...]

Positions Are Stated Demands. Interests Are the Deal.

Positions are stated demands. Interests reveal the problem underneath, and that is where negotiators often [...]