“Meet in the middle” sounds reasonable until you realize both sides may be giving up the part they actually need. The ABN lesson is simple: mutual value is not compromise; it is finding the structure where each side gets what matters.
Compromise Splits Positions
Compromise usually starts with stated positions. One side asks for a 6% cost reduction. The other offers 2%. They land at 4% and call it fair.
That may be acceptable, but it is not automatically a strong deal. If the buyer needed margin protection and the seller needed volume certainty, a pure price split may leave both sides under-served. The visible position got divided, but the real business needs were barely addressed.
Mutual Value Starts Underneath The Ask
Mutual value starts with a better question: what does each side actually value?
In B2B negotiation, two parties can care about different things. A retailer may care about promotional funding, fill rate, payment terms, exclusivity, inventory risk, or contribution profit. A supplier may care about forecast certainty, production efficiency, payment speed, launch support, or access to a new channel.
When those needs are different, value can be created without simply cutting the same number in half. A cost concession might become co-op support. A price gap might become a volume commitment. A delivery dispute might become better forecasting and phased shipments.
Prepare The Value Map
Before the meeting, write down your target and at least three ways to reach it. Then write down what your counterpart may value commercially. Do not guess lazily; use their business model, current pressure, and prior behavior as clues.
During the conversation, ask questions that test the map: “What would make this work better for your team?” “Where is the bigger constraint: margin, timing, inventory, or internal approval?” The answers show where a better trade may exist.
Practical takeaway: Do not split the orange until you know who needs the fruit and who needs the peel.
Want the framework behind this? Download the free 5 Laws of Negotiation ebook: 5laws.negotiationsacademy.com
