HBR's 10 Must Reads for Sales and Marketing Collection (5 Books)

Control the Negotiation Before It Begins

by Deepak Malhotra

COUNTLESS BOOKS and articles offer advice that can help deal makers avoid missteps at the bargaining table. But some of the costliest mistakes take place before negotiators even sit down to discuss the substance of the deal. That’s because people fall prey to a seemingly reasonable—but ultimately faulty—assumption about deal making. Negotiators often take it for granted that if they bring a lot of value to the table and have sufficient leverage, they’ll be able to strike a great deal. While those things are certainly important, many other factors influence where each party ends up.

In this article I draw on my experience advising scores of companies on deals worth millions or billions ...