The Negotiation Book: Your Definitive Guide To Successful Negotiating

7.5. GETTING EMPOWERED BEFORE YOU START

You probably work within agreed parameters when negotiating. Without those parameters, you could in theory become dangerous because you could agree to anything. So, degrees of empowerment are usually put in place to protect you (providing you with a basis for trading), and to protect the businesses you are working for. Often before negotiations start, you may find yourself involved in internal negotiations to discuss your parameters by agreeing what your break point is, or whether you will entertain discussions on particular variables as part of concluding the deal. This is an important part of the planning process. Equally, the other party will have parameters within which they can operate. It is quite common for some people to open a negotiation discussion outlining the areas that are non-negotiable 'deal breakers' and the areas which are available for discussion. The likelihood is that they are either not empowered to negotiate over certain areas because of the parameters which have been set, or they have decided for now to introduce such parameters, allowing them to broaden the agenda during later discussions.