When negotiating anything, what are 5 legitimate points, in mapping-out an agreement?

Alfonso Llanes, Master Degree in International Development

Answered just now

Take control of the negotiation at the beginning. Experienced negotiators often think and take for granted that flexing value onto the table carries lots of leverage.

· Start by negotiating process prior to substance.

· Every perspective must be considered in order to culminate a successful deal.

· Control the frame of reference of all present at the table. Everyone must be on the same page.

· Emphasize value instead of price.

· Your bottom line and alternatives versus the other side.

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu places the importance on the subject that “every war is won or lost before it even begins.”

Most big deals are built on a series of smaller ones. That’s true for a small projects, and even some UN resolutions. These deals are the culmination of many periods of intense and centered negotiations on the subject at hand among the various parties, each with its own concerns. Deal-making tactics addresses how to choose the right approach for each piece of the puzzle.

Each component part of a deal presents a tactical challenge at the negotiating table. However, less familiar to negotiators is how to address the more strategic challenge that reveals itself away from the table.

Issue 1 is educating the audience on the importance of new technologies.

Issue 2 should be assessing the inter dependencies among all participant businesses.

Issue 3 is identifying the government agency that would need to get involved for a given project. Determine whether and when to combine teams. In complex situations with a large number of teams dealing separately with each other might be an effective way to organize the discussions.

Issue 4 what kind of public reaction is going to be and the follow up public relations initiative to frame the message to the media and the wider public. Any negotiation must have a sequence such as knowing which parties to approach in what order within a front that can make or break a deal. If it is a critical new partner position that focuses on finance, for instance, concentrate first on the financial front.

Issue 5 learn and adapt to changing circumstances as executing decisions are inherently iterative and your counterparts will react to events, and alignments and circumstances that might change. Also, determine how much information to share and when. Your sequencing choices often determine the extent to which you reveal your activities to opponents or to various fronts.