Gavin Presman

CHECKLIST FOR MENTAL PREPARATION
Do you really want to do this deal?
Are you sure the other party wants to do a deal, and if so have they expressed that desire to you?
Do you feel equal and working towards a solution that is mutually beneficial?
Do you want to have a long-term relationship with the person you are negotiating with?
What can you do to ensure the other party is committed to working towards a solution that produces benefit for all parties?
How can you get them to openly express the desire for a mutually agreeable solution, either to you or in public?
Do you know what they like? (Preferences)
Do you know what they don’t like? (Prejudices)
Do you have any research into their past agreements that you can use to inform this agreement? (Past)
What do you know about their personality? (Personality)

Variables are the things that add value to one or the other party as part of a deal, and good variables will have a magical quality to them. That is, a good variable adds balance in one person’s favour without costing the other too much

simple tool that will help you create more collaborative deals is what I call a ‘Shopping List’. This is a list of the variables you think you can use to add value for yourself or the other party.

First, list all the fixed items that you are not willing to negotiate on.

Now make a list of at least ten different ways you could vary the agreement. Think about timescales, services and added values. Think about the things you can do to support the agreement. Think as broadly as possible, and make your list a little longer. Mark any of the variables which are ‘Superstar Variables’, that is the ones that are very low cost to you, but extra high value to the other party.

hink about which items you could ask for that would be good variables from the other party’s perspective.

If we fail to look creatively for added value in agreements, then we miss an opportunity to make every agreement more valuable. This is a key tool in negotiation, and the more you practise using it, the better the deals you will make.

three-step WIN Matrix. This is simply a place where you record what you WANT, what you INTEND and what you NEED from the agreement.

Red Line is the lowest point you can go to in order to conclude an agreement; it is a line that you will not cross to get a deal. Beyond this point you would have to walk away if the other party couldn’t meet your requirements.