Coaching practices for Leverage in Negotiation

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

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

• I’m walking into this feeling like I have to make it work no matter what, and that fear makes me ready to take almost anything
• There are several things on the table here, and some matter way more to me than others
• Going into this negotiation I have no real read on how much the other side actually needs the deal versus how easily they could walk
• When I negotiate I jump straight to my offer and try to claim my slice, and I suspect I’m leaving value on the table
• The whole thing has collapsed down to one number and we’re just staring each other down over price, so whatever I gain they lose

Practices that may help

1. Know your BATNA
   Your Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement is the source of your real leverage.
   Getting to Yes: Principled Negotiation
2. Logroll by trading issues of unequal importance
   Concede on what matters less to you in exchange for gains on what matters more.
   Expanding the Pie: Negotiation Beyond Splitting the Difference
3. 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
4. Expand the pie before you divide it
   In negotiations, surface what the other side actually values most before claiming your share.
   Give and Take: The Giver Advantage
5. Add issues to expand the pie
   Bring more variables in — timing, scope, future work — so there’s more to trade.
   Win-Win Thinking: Expanding the Pie
6. Improve your BATNA before you negotiate
   The best time to strengthen your walk-away position is before the negotiation starts, not during it.
   BATNA: Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
7. Run a negotiation debrief to learn what value was left on the table
   After closing, compare priorities with the other side to see the trades you both missed.
   Expanding the Pie: Negotiation Beyond Splitting the Difference
8. 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
9. Make multiple equivalent simultaneous offers (MESOs)
   Propose several package deals of equal value to you — see which the other side prefers.
   Expanding the Pie: Negotiation Beyond Splitting the Difference
10. Use the Ackerman bid sequence: 65%–85%–95%–100% of target
    Make four calculated offers that converge on your target with shrinking steps — each concession signals you are approaching your limit.
    The Ackerman Method, Made Practical

Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.