BATNA is the key focus and the driving force behind a successful negotiator (Fisher, & Ury, 1981). How quickly you offer concessions is just as important (and in some cases. Negotiation in Business Without a BATNA – Is It Possible? First, let it be known that what you have given up (or what you have stopped demanding) is costly to you. “I am prepared to do this, if you are prepared to do that.” Your counterpart should quickly understand that whenever you offer to make a concession, this concession is contingent upon a reciprocal concession of equal value. When presenting concessions use features and benefits to really highlight the value that you are offering. More generally, extensive research (beginning with the work of the late Stanford University professor Amos Tversky and the Princeton University professor and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman in the 1970s) demonstrates that while most of us prefer to get bad news all at once, we prefer to get good news in installments. Recently, one of my students in an executive education class explained that while he would be more than happy to engage in mutual give-and-take during his negotiations, he often has trouble doing so with his contractors and customers. Why? Never make a concession without asking for something of equal value in return. EXAMPLE: You run a hotel. If the project manager is willing to make a concession, she might say: “This isn’t easy for us, but we’ve made some adjustments on price to accommodate your concerns. By contrast, your concessions will be more powerful when your counterpart views your initial demands as serious and reasonable. While walking down the street, you find a $20 bill. The negotiation gets tighter in direct proportion to your credibility. Either the other party concedes, moving the negotiation forward, or it is terminated. Whilst you are in the midst of a negotiation, it is very difficult to be spontaneously … … It is important to note, however, that when someone refuses to reciprocate, the refusal often hurts her as much as the party who made the concession. This is a. The next day, on a different street, you find another $10 bill. In negotiation, don’t assume that your actions will speak for themselves. Yet, an effective concession strategy is one that equips us to visualise all the moving parts of a negotiation, enabling us to manage our actions and interventions in a planned and considered way to achieve our goals. Contingent concessions are almost risk-free. To demonstrate your flexibility, your counterpart might need a reminder of the concessions you’ve already made during the course of the negotiation. Every negotiation involves a little bit of give and take. As they prepare for a negotiation, successful/effective negotiators recognize the fact that negotiation is a dynamic process of give and take. PON – Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School - https://www.pon.harvard.edu, By Notice that this statement achieves three goals. Label Your Concessions. Build powerful negotiation skills and become a better dealmaker and leader. A flinch is a visible reaction to an offer or price during face-to-face negotiations. But there are effective and ineffective ways to make concessions. If the negotiation heads in a direction that is not in your best interests, don’t be afraid to take concessions off the table. Refusal to move forward with the negotiation in this way is risky, but often very powerful. Examples of concessions might include car parks built on local authority-owned land, or toll roads and toll bridges. It is the first stage of any negotiation, though people often don't give it the time it warrants. Write a list of the concessions you’re willing to make and what you want in return. Which of these scenarios would make you happier? ET any business day or email hni@law.harvard.edu. Concessions are an important part of every negotiation. The overall strategy | Tactical concessions | See also. First, it labels the concession (“This isn’t easy for us, but we’ve made some adjustments …”). Labeling your concessions helps trigger an obligation to reciprocate, but sometimes your counterpart will be slow to act on that obligation. Nicole Bryant is named the next Managing Director of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. In the real estate example, you might discover that the initial $30,000 increase in your offer was all that you needed to sign the deal! How? Your counterparts will be motivated to overlook, ignore, or downplay your concessions. Enhance your personal, business and professional leadership credibility, respect, fairness, pride and collegiality. Copyright © 2021 Negotiation Daily. Your email address will not be published. If the other side considers your first offer to be frivolous, your willingness to move away from it will not be seen as concessionary behavior. Remember, it ain’t over until it’s over. Source: (pan xiaozhen / Unsplash) Concession example #1: Repair requests based on the inspection. Eventually, he could point out that his final offer was closer to the union’s original demands than it was to his own. When you’ve made a significant concession, be sure to communicate exactly how much you’ve given away and what the sacrifice means to you. Second, it tactfully demands reciprocity (“We expect that you are now in a better position to make some changes …”). Robert Freedman @RobertFreedman. Chester L. Karrass. The manufacturer, for example, would have been wise to make concessions slowly. When either you or your counterpart doesn’t reciprocate, relationships are bruised and trust is diminished. Lost your password? Their goal is to achieve a mutually acceptable result that satisfies the interests (needs/priorities) of both sides at the lowest cost to each. Installments may also lead you to discover that you don’t have to make as large a concession as you thought. In this video, Professor Guhan Subramanian discusses a real world example of how seating arrangements can influence a negotiator’s success. Developing the concession strategy . Your list should also include a guesstimate of how much you think your counterpart values each potential concession. A concession contract may grant anything from mining or drilling rights, to the right to operate a hotel or restaurant on government property. Initial demands as serious and reasonable be concerned with trading concessions against each other more... To exploit his goodwill by refusing to reciprocate, relationships are bruised trust... 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