I firmly believe that the blueprint for successful negotiation is taking an interests-based approach.  Roger Fisher and William Ury in their seminal book Getting to Yes extoll the virtues of negotiation from a place of common and shared interests instead of the usual thrust and parry of ultimatum and position-based negotiation.

I am on a team that is concluding a protracted, three year interest-based negotiation with a professional group.  The upside is that three years of interest-based discussion has created a framework whereby the parties can be open and clear about the “art of the possible”.

But that doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and lollipops – especially as the negotiations draw to a close and the only issue on the table is money.

Interests-based negotiation is not capitulation.  And you must work hard to overcome the inherent risk of interest-based negotiation:  failure to resolve the tough stuff.  In other words, love of process and avoidance of outcome.  I remember a few years back, a friend tried working as a car salesman.  He failed because he couldn’t close a deal. Lots of talk – but no conclusion.

I have seen many negotiations linger for months -if not years- because the parties lacked the courage to get into the tough stuff, focussing instead on their common interests and agreements.  But, eventually, you have to get into the tough stuff!

Having a relationship built on a foundation of trust and transparency (the by-product of interests-based negotiation) enables you to quickly shift into outcome mode.  You have to muster the courage to pull yourself out of the comfort zone of procrastination to overcome the folly of process-over-outcome so you can relentlessly focus on closing the deal.