Coaching practices for Shared Interests Deal Making

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

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

• We’re treating this like a fight when actually we both want the same outcome
• We’re both playing it so close to the chest that neither of us can find a better deal, but I’m scared that if I open up about what I actually want they’ll just use it against me
• I’m walking into this assuming it’s a fixed pie where their win is my loss, and I’ve only ever thought through my own side
• We’re haggling issue by issue, splitting the difference on each one, and it’s leaving us both worse off
• The numbers actually work and yet they still won’t budge, and I keep sweetening the offer to no effect

Practices that may help

1. Identify compatible interests for joint gain
   When both sides care about the same thing — quality, reputation, timing — agreements that serve that shared interest outperform splits.
   Interests vs. Positions: The Core of Integrative Negotiation
2. Share information to unlock value
   Reveal interests (not your bottom line) so both sides can find the better deal.
   Win-Win Thinking: Expanding the Pie
3. Map interests for both sides before generating solutions
   Write down both parties’ known and inferred interests before proposing anything — the map reveals trades that no single position could.
   Interests vs. Positions: The Core of Integrative Negotiation
4. Trade across issues where each side has different priorities
   Give the counterpart what they care most about; get what you care most about — logrolling is only possible when interests differ.
   Interests vs. Positions: The Core of Integrative Negotiation
5. Distinguish substantive, procedural, and psychological interests
   The interest behind a position is often not about the money or the terms — it may be about face, fairness, or control.
   Interests vs. Positions: The Core of Integrative Negotiation
6. 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
7. Interests vs. Positions: The Core of Integrative Negotiation
   A position is what someone says they want ("I need $80,000"); an interest is why they want it ("I need to cover my expenses and feel valued"). Fisher and Ury’s insight in Getting to Yes is that positions in direct conflict often mask compatible interests — and that negotiating on interests rather than positions is the main lever for creating agreements that satisfy both parties rather than splitting the difference.
8. 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
9. Trade across differing priorities
   Give on what you value less to get what you value more — and have them do the same.
   Win-Win Thinking: Expanding the Pie
10. 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

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