The Elements of Negotiation

ELEMENT 100Making Sure You Get Something in Return

The party that starts making unilateral concessions is most frequently the party that ends up with the poorest result. Concessions are perceived as a sign of weakness—a sign that you have lowered your level of ambition, or that you have considerable room for maneuver. The pressure on you will increase and start a chain reaction. You have to keep giving until you've given everything away.

A unilateral concession must be made with great caution at the end of the negotiation—to finalize it, or to unblock a negotiation that has become stuck. It must not be followed by further concessions until the other party gives you something or makes a counteroffer that you can decide about.

Let the other party make a major effort before you make a concession. Concessions at the beginning of the negotiation often go down the drain; no decisions are made, and the other party is only assessing how to negotiate. It's important, for psychological reasons, that the other party has to work hard to get a concession on the table. If not, they don't get to demonstrate their negotiating skills, and they feel no satisfaction at the result they have achieved.

Concession Must Be Linked to a Counterdemand

Normally a concession must be linked to the demand for something in return. In a negotiation you must avoid giving something without getting something. If you do, the negotiating position will shift adversely for you. If you forget your compensation, ...