Preparation
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title: Preparation description: The best negotiation tactic often happens before the meeting.
PREPARATION
The negotiation starts before the meeting.
THE 10 QUESTIONS
Before entering the room, I should be able to answer ten questions.
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WHO
01 — WHO IS NEGOTIATING?
Who will actually be in the room?
What is my relationship with them?
02 — WHAT IS MY MANDATE?
What am I allowed to accept?
What am I not allowed to accept?
03 — WHO ELSE MATTERS?
Who influences the decision?
Who supports me?
Who can block the deal?
Who is the spoiler?
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WHAT
04 — WHAT DO WE WANT?
My objectives.
Their objectives.
And, more importantly, their underlying needs.
05 — WHAT SOLUTIONS EXIST?
Don’t arrive with only one solution.
Create options.
06 — WHAT ARE MY ARGUMENTS?
Why should they accept my proposal?
07 — WHAT IS MY PLAN B?
What happens if we don’t reach an agreement?
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HOW
08 — HOW WILL WE NEGOTIATE?
Deadline.
Agenda.
Location.
Sequence.
Process.
09 — HOW WILL I COMMUNICATE?
What do I say?
What do I ask?
What information do I reveal?
10 — WHAT ABOUT LOGISTICS?
Who needs to be there?
What documents do we need?
What practical details could disrupt the meeting?
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THE PRINCIPLE
Essential before obvious.
The obvious preparation is preparing my arguments.
The essential preparation is understanding:
people + interests + mandate + alternatives
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CONNECTED IDEAS
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REMEMBER
Prepare the relationship before preparing the arguments.
