Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It

“It sounds like you think we are the big, bad prime
contractor trying to push out the small business,” Anna said,
heading off the accusation before it could be made.
“No, no, we don’t think that,” Angela said, conditioned
by the acknowledgment to look for common ground.
With the negatives labeled and the worst accusations laid
bare, Anna and Mark were able to turn the conversation to
the contract. Watch what they do closely, as it’s brilliant:
they acknowledge ABC’s situation while simultaneously
shifting the onus of offering a solution to the smaller
company.
“It sounds like you have a great handle on how the
government contract should work,” Anna said, labeling
Angela’s expertise.
“Yes—but I know that’s not how it always goes,”
Angela answered, proud to have her experience
acknowledged.
Anna then asked Angela how she would amend the
contract so that everyone made some money, which pushed
Angela to admit that she saw no way to do so without
cutting ABC’s worker count.
Several weeks later, the contract was tweaked to cut
ABC’s payout, which brought Anna’s company $1 million
that put the contract into the black. But it was Angela’s
reaction at the end of the meeting that most surprised Anna.
After Anna had acknowledged that she had given Angela
some bad news and that she understood how angry she must
feel, Angela said: