How do you coordinate with allies in a negotiation?

1 Identify your allies

Before you enter a negotiation, you need to know who your allies are and what they want. Your allies are not necessarily your friends or partners. They are anyone who has a common interest or a mutual benefit with you in the negotiation. For example, if you are negotiating a contract with a supplier, your allies could be other customers who also want a lower price or better quality. To identify your allies, you need to do some research and analysis. Find out who else is involved or affected by the negotiation, what their interests and preferences are, and how they relate to yours. You can use tools like stakeholder maps, power-interest grids, or SWOT analysis to help you.

3 Negotiate with your allies

Communication is not enough. You also need to negotiate with your allies. Negotiating with your allies means finding a balance between cooperation and competition. You want to cooperate with your allies to achieve your shared interests, but you also want to compete with them to protect your own interests. For example, if you and your allies want to lower the price of a supplier, you need to cooperate to put pressure on the supplier, but you also need to compete to get the best deal for yourself. To negotiate with your allies, you need to use skills like bargaining, problem-solving, and influencing. You need to be clear about your BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement), your reservation point, and your aspiration point. You also need to be flexible, creative, and respectful.

4 Manage potential conflicts

Negotiating with allies can also create potential conflicts. Conflicts can arise from misunderstandings, disagreements, or betrayals. For example, if one of your allies changes their position or reveals your information to the other party, you may feel angry or betrayed. To manage potential conflicts, you need to use skills like active listening, empathy, and assertiveness. You need to address the conflict as soon as possible, and try to understand the underlying causes and emotions. You also need to express your feelings and needs, and seek a win-win solution.

5 Adjust your strategy

Negotiating with allies is not a static process. It is a dynamic and adaptive process. You need to adjust your strategy according to the changing situation and the feedback from your allies. You need to monitor the progress and the outcomes of the negotiation, and evaluate the effectiveness and the impact of your coordination. You also need to seek new opportunities and challenges, and explore new options and alternatives. You need to be open-minded, flexible, and responsive.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?