What does that even look like? Where do we even begin now?

Well, we can take two lenses to that question.

We can look at it from the top down, as in if you're managing a company, how do you make sure that people are negotiating well on your behalf? And we can look at it from the bottom up, as in if you're negotiating for a company, how do you ensure that you're negotiating well for that company? Okay.

I think if we're looking from the bottom up, then yes, you need to develop your own individual skills.

You also need to be very aware of the interests of the organization.

So one framework that I like to begin all training with is the framework of the dichotomy or the difference between goals and interests.

See, when you're working for a company, you get told what your goals are.

even began or start on their journey to learn, I guess, this art or to base it in some sort of reality or some sort of theory or what you know?

Motivations.

Yeah, the motivation.

So the intangible motivations or interests are the most interesting because they can be easily satisfied without anything costly.

So you don't necessarily have to make a concession on anything that is concrete, anything valuable to you and still fulfill those intangible interests.

For example, this Harvard study condensed all of our intangible needs into these three categories.

And so now I teach my MBA students, for example, to recognize these three categories of needs in anyone that they negotiate with.

So we can preempt, like we can start to... sort of guess what sort of interest the other person will have even before we meet them, no matter who they are.

Like, do you have any thoughts on that?

Yes.

And from that, I have some flexibility in how I build my negotiation plan.

Because you also as the buyer-You will have broader interests than just getting the price that you want.

Maybe you want to move in when there's a different floor.

Maybe what you wanted was wooden floors and what I have the, uh, the r- the, the carpeting is not what you like.

Um, also you have some interest in moving in at a, by a certain date because your child is starting school in that area or whatever.

So it's much broader.

What else should they be doing to try and get what they think they deserve?