Chapter 5Prepare…or Else
Preparation: The Aerobics of Negotiation
The first phase of any negotiation is the preparation phase. It is the most important phase and sometimes the most neglected. You can't control the other side, outside events, and often not even your own position—but the one thing you can control is your preparation. If you are not prepared for a negotiation, you might as well not show up. You have given the other side an undue, unearned advantage.
Preparation is like exercise. Sure, it's good for you, but while you're “stair-mastering,” ab-crunching, and treadmilling, you feel tired, bored, and, afterward, sore. It's only months later when you're running through an airport for a plane and you don't get winded that you appreciate all that sweat.
Don't expect a thrill from preparation while you're gathering background information, checking sources, networking, referencing, fact checking, and strategizing. Do expect to be exhilarated when you sit down at the table and get few surprises from the other side. The more you know about them, their expectations, aspirations, limits (time, money, resources), their perceptions of you, the deal, and its ramifications, the better position you are in to make the deal you want. Preparation is power.
Get The Power of Nice, Revised and Updated now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
