REMEMBER!
• When preparing for a negotiation, define your BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) as a backup plan. A good BATNA gives you strength in the negotiation.
• If there's an impasse in the negotiation, take a timeout. Perhaps the problem is a clash of personalities, and a change of people on your side might help. Perhaps there are cultural issues to discuss. Or maybe the problem lies not in the details of the negotiation but in the negotiation process itself.
• Remind your business partner of previous instances of successful cooperation. Connect this with a description of how the market is changing and with promises of managing those changes in the future.
• Change the size of the package. Add to the scope of the agreement or, failing that, make the package smaller. Find a part of the package that you can agree on.
• If you fail to come to an agreement, both sides will have wasted time, energy and resources. Remind your business partner of these negative consequences. If you still cannot come to an agreement, specify the areas of agreement and disagreement. Keep the door open for future cooperation.