Coaching practices for Offer Timing Negotiation

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

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

• I’ve got time before this conversation actually happens, and right now my only real option is the one I’m about to ask for
• When we’re going back and forth on the price I just keep bumping my number up by the same chunk each time to keep things moving, and I can’t tell whether I’m signaling I’ve still got plenty of room to give.
• After grinding through this thing for weeks they finally put a solid offer in front of me, and instead of being glad I’m fuming that they didn’t just lead with it
• There are several things on the table here, and some matter way more to me than others
• I can’t get a read on what the other side actually cares about most

Practices that may help

1. 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
2. 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
3. Evaluate offers on their content, not on the timing of when they arrived
   A good offer that comes late in a negotiation is still a good offer — don’t discount it because of sunk cost.
   The Flinch and Reactive Devaluation, Made Practical
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
8. Negotiate: know your minimum and be willing to give and take
   Decide in advance what you are willing to accept short of your full ask, and be ready to offer something in exchange.
   DEAR MAN: DBT’s Skill for Asking for What You Want Effectively
9. Propose a post-settlement settlement to optimize an agreed deal
   After reaching a deal, offer to see if you can both do better — many agreements leave joint value on the table.
   ZOPA: The Zone of Possible Agreement
10. Bridge disagreements with contingent terms
    When you disagree about the future, bet on it — tie terms to what actually happens.
    Win-Win Thinking: Expanding the Pie

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