Protocol
Trade on differences instead of splitting every issue
A fair-looking middle can be worse for both sides than an uneven trade they actually prefer.
When it fits
- Both sides value the negotiation issues differently.
When to avoid it
- Do not invent counterpart priorities; verify them through questions, proposals and observed reactions.
Why it matters
Compare your issue priorities with what you learn about the other side. Look for an issue they value highly and you value less, paired with an issue where the pattern reverses. Propose a linked trade instead of splitting both issues down the middle.
Steps
- The trade improves the package on a higher-priority issue without crossing a lower-priority issue's acceptable range.
An example
Accept a longer contract term in exchange for lower travel requirements when duration is cheap for you and travel is expensive.
Check your result
The trade improves the package on a higher-priority issue without crossing a lower-priority issue's acceptable range.
Keep this limit in mind
- Do not invent counterpart priorities; verify them through questions, proposals and observed reactions.
Connected ideas
Useful withOffer several packages you value similarly
Evidence and sources
Logrolling is trading across negotiation issues based on differences in priorities so each side can concede more on lower-value issues to gain on higher-value ones.
A trade is only useful when the issue values genuinely differ and the terms remain acceptable overall.
Negotiations and Logrolling: Discover Opportunities to Generate Mutual Gains · Definition and priority differences