Getting to Yes

Sometimes, the other side has all the advantages: much better weapons, more powerful negotiating staff, products that cost vastly more than you can pay. In these situations, it’s best to avoid agreements that “put an end to” the negotiation but harm you in the process (100). It’s also wise to marshal your resources so you’re in the best possible position regardless of the outcome.

Most negotiators have a “bottom line”—for example, a lowest price they’ll accept or a highest price they’re willing to pay. This prevents falling to temptation during stress, but it also locks you in place and cuts off other solutions.

A better approach is to consider the options if there is no agreement. A house seller, for example, can look at renting the property, remodeling it, tearing it down and rebuilding, and so forth. This thought process produces a “BATNA—your Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement” (102). A BATNA replaces a bottom line with a “trip wire” that raises an alarm when your best deal is worse than no deal.

Knowing your alternatives gives you the ability to walk away when you know the offered deal is worse than no deal. This negates a more powerful negotiator’s assets.