The Point of the Deal: How to Negotiate When YES is Not Enough

Why do so many business deals that look good on paper end up in tatters once they're put into action? Because deal makers often treat the signed contract as the final destination in their bargaining journey-instead of the start of a cooperative venture. In The Point of the Deal, Danny Ertel and Mark Gordon show what negotiation looks like when the players involved strive to make the deal work in practice-not just on paper.

• Treat the deal as a means, not an end, by asking what you need from your counterpart over and above a "yes."
• Consult stakeholders, determining whom you'll need to get to "yes" and beyond.
• Set precedents that will help guide joint behavior after you've signed the deal.
• Air your concerns — in ways that still get you to "yes" and beyond.
• Help your counterparts avoid overcommitting — maximizing the likelihood they'll be able to deliver on their part of the bargain.
• Run past the finish line — by articulating how you'll get from "yes" to your final destination. 

Here's a snippet: 

"Every day people negotiate all kinds of deals. For many of these individuals, implementation is the furthest thing from their minds. They are wholly and completely focused on getting the deal done, and when they do so, they will declare victory and go off to celebrate. But should they?

The answer to that depends on what should happen next. When the deal is the only goal — for example, if the negotiation is purely over the price of something that is literally a commodity, like pork belly futures; if all important aspects of the deal are effectively consummated by the transfer of a few electronic bits flying over a wire; or if the environment in which they negotiated is so strictly regulated by law or tradition that the parties' obligations are crystal clear — then implementation truly doesn't matter..." 

We're sure that implementation is very important to your own negotiations. Read the book today for further insights into strengthening the relationship between your business negotiations and impending implementation. 

For more on this topic, please visit our Negotiation page.