Peter Barron Stark
President

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The Premiere Newsletter for Negotiators The Master Negotiator is a monthly newsletter packed with tips, strategies, and tactics to ensure your success in virtually every negotiation.  The Negotiating Tactic of the Week gives you an insider's look at hundreds of strategies and tactics.  Make sure you know more than your counterpart!  Simply enter your email address in the box provided to start your subscription.

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Tactic #37 - There is More Than One Way to Skin a Cat

Summary:  Preparing multiple options for resolving deal points before a negotiation begins.

In a negotiation, the counterpart with the greatest number of viable options usually gets the best outcome.  A good tactic is to walk into a negotiation with three to five possibilities for accomplishing your goal.  This tactic empowers you because when your counterpart puts a roadblock in one direction, you have other viable alternatives.

Some of the most difficult negotiators to deal with are unilateral thinkers who believe there is only one way to do things.  When one counterpart won't look at options, the negotiation is likely to result in a lose-win outcome.

Example

You would like to hire a star salesperson for your company.  Your boss has enforced a salary ceiling of $70,000 for the position.  But during an interview, you discover that the salesperson you want to hire has a base salary of $75,000 at her current job and will not leave for less.

You reopen the negotiations with a different proposal.  You offer the salesperson a base salary of $70,000 but promise to give a $15,000 bonus if she can reach sales of $500,000.  This arrangement is more acceptable to your boss, and the salesperson thinks she will have no problem selling $500,000 worth of your product.

Counter

The salesperson could use the tactic of I'll Think About It and Get Back To You Later, to have time to evaluate the new proposal.  If her goals and yours are still some distance apart, she could try the tactic of I'll Meet You in the Middle.

This tactic is one of 101 strategies and tactics featured in The Only Negotiating Guide You'll Ever Need, by Peter Stark and Jane Flaherty.

To view this month's issue of The Master Negotiator, the premiere on-line newsletter for negotiators, follow this link:

The Master Negotiator,  Volume 2, Number 2 - Power

To view previous Negotiating Tactics of the Week, follow this link:

Negotiating Tactics of the Week