Make multiple equivalent simultaneous offers (MESOs)

Propose several package deals of equal value to you — see which the other side prefers.

Why it works

When you offer multiple packages at once, the other party’s choice reveals which issues they value most — information you couldn’t get by asking directly. That signal lets you repackage the deal to give them more of what they care about in exchange for more of what you care about, creating joint gains that a single take-it-or-leave-it offer forecloses.

How to do it

1. Before the meeting, design two or three packages where each is equally acceptable to you but varies across the issues at stake.
2. Present all packages at once: “I’d be happy with any of these — which comes closest for you?”
3. Ask what they like and dislike about whichever option they gravitate toward.
4. Use their response to craft a fourth option that prioritizes what they valued most.

Evidence

Laboratory negotiation research by Leonardelli et al. and work cited by Malhotra & Bazerman show that MESOs produce better joint outcomes and are perceived as more cooperative than single-offer bargaining. Leonardelli and colleagues’ studies find that offering a choice among equivalent first offers raises both economic outcomes and the counterpart’s satisfaction, easing the tension between claiming value and preserving the relationship. (observational)

Research is primarily from controlled lab exercises; field evidence is more limited and outcomes depend on the other side’s sophistication.

Sources

• Leonardelli, Ristikari, Mishal & Galinsky (2019), Multiple equivalent simultaneous offers, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
• Leonardelli, G. J., Gu, J., McRuer, G., Medvec, V. H., & Galinsky, A. D. (2019). Multiple equivalent simultaneous offers (MESOs) reduce the negotiator dilemma: How a choice of first offers increases economic and relational outcomes. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 152, 64–83.

Common mistake

Presenting packages that are genuinely not equivalent to you, which turns the MESO into an anchoring trick — the other side senses it and trust erodes.