HOW GOOD ARE YOU AT NEGOTIATING?

A mentor recently shifted my perspective on negotiation, challenging the idea of win:win vs win:lose and introducing an alternate…lose:lose outcome.

Here’s the twist…

If neither party is 100% happy, it often means concessions were made on both sides and is an indicator of fairness and balance. Losing, in this context, can actually be a form of winning.

This insight recently then drove me down a bit of a rabbit hole this week, including diving into my past learnings in the Scotwork negotiating toolbox as taught to so many of us over the years (DM me if I can do a local intro for you and your team).

Their framework highlights the importance of preparation. Starting with a few “what’s”…

• What do they want?
• What are your non-negotiables?
• What are your concessions, if any?
• What is not being said?
• What are the alternatives?
• What are the consequences?

A technique I’ve found effective: Make a statement, not a question.

Next time you’re negotiating, try this:

✅ “If you give me ABC, I’ll give you XYZ.”

❌ “If I give you XYZ, will you give me ABC?”

In negotiation sometimes the best move is knowing when to compromise and when to walk away. This is especially true when the other party is actually losing too much if they do the deal with you versus someone else.

Called being a good human.