Coaching practices for Batna and Reservation Value

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Batna and Reservation Value, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• I know roughly what I want, but I’ve never pinned down the exact number where I’d say no
• I’ve got this conversation coming up and I’m dreading it because I genuinely don’t know what I’d do if they say no
• They’re acting like they can take it or leave it and it’s making me cave
• The offer in front of me is below what I swore I’d accept, and I can feel myself reaching for a reason to say yes anyway
• I actually do have a solid other option, and I keep going back and forth on whether to mention it

Practices that may help

1. Calculate your reservation price directly from your BATNA
   Your walk-away point should be derived from your BATNA — not from your aspiration or your fear.
   BATNA: Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
2. BATNA: Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
   BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement), developed by Fisher, Ury, and Patton in Getting to Yes, is what you will do if this negotiation fails completely. It is the only rational basis for your walk-away point. A strong BATNA gives you genuine power because you can credibly walk away; a weak BATNA means any deal is better than your alternative, and a skilled counterpart will sense and exploit that.
3. Identify your real BATNA before negotiations begin
   Clarify exactly what you will do if no deal is reached — and whether that alternative is as good as you assume.
   BATNA: Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
4. Estimate your counterpart’s BATNA
   Understanding what the other side will do if there’s no deal tells you where their pressure is — and how much room you have.
   BATNA: Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
5. Walk away cleanly when the deal falls below your reservation price
   Saying no to a bad deal — and meaning it — is the practice that gives all the others their teeth.
   BATNA: Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
6. Decide strategically whether to reveal your BATNA
   A strong BATNA is worth revealing; a weak one is better concealed while you work on improving it.
   BATNA: Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
7. Map the likely ZOPA before the first session
   Estimate both your own and the counterpart’s reservation points before you open, so you know what deal space exists.
   ZOPA: The Zone of Possible Agreement
8. Map the ZOPA before negotiating
   Know your walk-away point and estimate theirs before the first offer is made.
   Expanding the Pie: Negotiation Beyond Splitting the Difference
9. Expanding the Pie: Negotiation Beyond Splitting the Difference
   Expanding the pie means trading across issues that the two parties value differently, so both sides gain more than any fixed compromise would allow. Malhotra and Bazerman’s research shows that most negotiators leave joint gains on the table because they treat every issue as a zero-sum battle.
10. Ask what happens if there is no deal
    Surface the other side’s BATNA by asking what they do if this does not work out.
    Calibrated Questions, Made Practical

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