Category: Negotiation

Most firms approach negotiations with “standard structures” — time-based billing, contract templates, or annual agreements. And while these structures feel familiar, they often hold us back from uncovering innovative solutions.

Here’s the problem:

1️⃣ Limited Skills: Many professionals aren’t equipped to build, propose, or evaluate creative alternatives.

2️⃣ Comfort Zones: Standard templates feel safe, but they stifle responsiveness to unique circumstances, and keep you from achieving more beneficial outcomes.

3️⃣ Operational Complexity: Organizations resist changes that disrupt deeply ingrained systems.

Yet, structuring innovative agreements can set you apart in a crowded marketplace. Moving beyond the standard approach could boost your commercial success and turn you into the ‘go-to partner’ your counterparts prefer at the table.

When was the last time you revisited the structures behind your deals? Could it be time to innovate?

When everything feels like it must be done now, you risk:

1. Skipping Preparation: Under time pressure, vital research, planning, and strategy often get pushed aside.
2. Overlooking Creative Options: Rushing leaves no space to explore out-of-the-box solutions that could unlock more value.
3. Damaging Trust: In haste, you might come across as pushy or inattentive to your counterpart’s needs—undermining long-term relationships.

Sometimes speed is necessary, but if every negotiation feels urgent, you’re leaving untapped value on the table. Slow down, plan properly, and watch how your outcomes improve.

If both parties in a negotiation end up better off than before the deal, that’s a win-win, right?

Wrong.

A common misconception about win-win leads some negotiators to aim low, focus on their break points, and rush to compromise without fully advocating for their interests. The other party gets a favorable deal (the “win”), while the negotiator walks away a “wimp”, settling for a merely “good enough” outcome. If one side’s gain comes at the other side’s expense, it’s a “wimp-win”, even if both end up better off than before.

But true win-win isn’t just about improving the status quo for both sides (without that, there shouldn’t be a deal) — it’s about maximizing value for both sides.

The real focus isn’t ‘before’ vs. ’after’, but comparing two alternative outcomes. If one deal option benefits both parties more than an alternative option, you’ve achieved a true win-win.

How is this done? By uncovering value differentials in your respective priorities, motivations, and constraints.

• Can one side offer something inexpensive to them but valuable to the other?
• Can timing or risks be adjusted for mutual benefit?

Turning wimp-win into true win-win negotiations requires curiosity, creativity, and a collaborative mindset.

Ready to transform your negotiation approach? Message me directly — let’s create value instead of wimping out on your next negotiation.