Every Journey Begins with a Map

Knowing what you want gives you a goal to shoot for. Getting there, of course, is most of the fun.

Getting there involves tactics and strategy; we’ll spend the rest of the book discussing them. But part of being in position to negotiate—maybe even the most important part—is having that map in hand before you open your mouth. Or to put it slightly more eloquently:

Make sure you have a plan for the overall negotiation process before beginning.

That means the negotiator—and the tactics are his call—should know not only his goal and what’s negotiable and what’s not, but the order he wants to proceed in before he starts. We’ll open with a casual lunch, mention two important points, then break. Two days later, a session with all the serious issues. Another casual meeting if necessary, heart-to-heart talk, get the outlines of the deal to the commander and close.

Bing-bang-boom, you’re married before you know what hit you.