What are your strategies for contract negotiation impasses?

The reason has to be identified without any bias or preconcieved notions. All the possible factors need to be considered rationally and to be seen if the instances are reppeatitive in nature or not. The nature of factors determines your approach on that

In my experience lots of impasses are caused by the fact that parties signing/authorising a deal do not have the same relationship as the parties that present the deal itself. Thus the first effort is explaining internally to each side the other’s point of view and limitation and discuss the impact of not accepting, besides defining a reasonable threshold. Unfortunately in the market data/information provider environment, lots of counterparties are in a monopoly/oligopoly condition, thus a good approach is also to understand if there is a real exit strategy, in case the agreement cannot be reached. In the end, a physical meeting may lead to a step ahead towards the resolution.

In my experience getting to the root cause requires active listening by both parties. Taking this approach shows respect to the other side and hopefully, if you have already built a relationship, it may trigger the same over there and help to uncover common ground which could make it easier to find solutions that work for both. Only once you really understand the issues can you start to solutionise. Sometimes a collaborative brainstorming session may help to find creative solutions, just remember to listen and absorb as well as suggest.

A couple of things I've found helpful is to identify the reason for the impasse, and then addressing it with compromise and trust. If both parties are still at the table reviewing and discussing, then they want it so how do we ensure we get to execution without a party feeling slighted or cheated? Once both parties recognise this things get easier. I've also found that sometimes adding a human face via a physical meeting or zoom can be most helpful. It helps build trust and opens perspectives outside just red-lining a contract over and over when comments can be misconstrued or context lost.

I′ve found it helpful to try as many proposals as I can to reach an Agreement and, mostly, explain to leadership what it means to accept or not such clause (impasses).

As I said above exploring alternatives is paramount to resolving negotiation impasses. Foster an environment of collaboration and problem-solving. It's all about finding innovative ways to meet each other's needs while building a foundation of trust and understanding. For example if a negotiation stalls due to timeline and budget conflicts, proposing a longer timeline for a better rate shows adaptability. In complex agreements, contingencies can ease worries and build trust. For supplier negotiations, suggesting a contingency plan for unexpected delays demonstrates commitment. Negotiations are about relationships beyond contracts. Combine creative thinking, flexibility and compromise to build partnerships.

Exploring alternatives in a negotiation game isn't just a phrase - it's a philosophy. In a stalemate, it's not about winners or losers but about finding new paths. Whether it's leveraging shared values, considering external mediators, or re-evaluating risks and benefits, creativity and flexibility can turn impasses into opportunities. Keep the dialogue open and solutions will emerge.

Finding a creative proposal that could be accepted by both parties needs transparency on both limits and availabilities and collaboration towards the common goal to be achieved. Best deals I have run through have always been based on these factors, on which the proposal has been built with a high possibility to be approved by managers of both parties. Both have to give up to something and both must obtain something and knowing the acceptable thresholds helps a lot.

It is all about finding the win-win ground, explore the root cause of disagreement, define alternative solutions Then set action plan for the implementation of those solution, finally be committed towards your action plane , this will set a very strong , long term business confident & trust that will help you in solving any future disagreements

Think out of the box - there are plenty of possibilities to achieve your goal to the benefit of the second party. If it is a long term relationship you work on, both parties need to grow.

Truly listen to understand, not just to pounce at any opening to add your 2 cents again. "Active" listening can work wonders in being able to effectively accomplish all the other techniques mentioned.

Communicating effectively is really the key to any and all negotiation. As the article said "confirm agreements" this means, verifying that their pain points are being addressed or eliminated and establishes that both parties are receiving a fair and equitable result, "Focus on the Future". Never be afraid to admit that the deal needs to be worth it for you, this actually builds trust, "Know when to walk away". This puts the other party on notice that they need to make an effort and contemplate ways they can compromise.

In my experience, in order to truly have meaningful communication, you must have already developed a certain level of trust. If there is zero trust, then everyone at the table is not going to be fully honest. How do you develop trust in a negotiation? I find it very effective to show some vulnerablity. Not a lot! But a little can go a long way. It humanizes the process and just might get you what you want!

The path is the common background, that’s why I don’t like when sales people change frequently: you loose a partner, someone you trust and that trusts you. This does not mean to stick to what has happened before, but it’s just you don’t have to start from scratch. That said, of course you have to look forward, not in a short term but far enough to have time to breath after the deal and regenerate, think to the evolutions you are both facing or may face, anticipating scenarios that may happen, and keep them in the deal so that you can trust on it, once done, at least for a while.

Yes, absolutely move on. Revisiting "he said" that gets you nowhere. If someone wants to continue to go backwards, align and redirect them. Align, meaning that you acknowledge the statement and then redirect the conversation towards a solution. This technique will help speed up the process of revisiting the past into a solutions focused topic.

It is important to know your red lines before you start to negotiate and to try and undrstand those on the other side too. Do you best to work within those guard rails but it may be necessary to walk away to safeguard your interests and to protect professional relationships for the future.

You must have an exit strategy or be conscious of what you cannot leave and how much you evaluate it. You must be conscious since the beginning, because if the negotiation gets harder/bad you must exactly know what to do after.

In my experience, negotiations are not always linear. If you hit an impasse skip it for now and work on something else, the issue might seem like a deal breaker in the moment, but once you and your negotiation partner have found common ground on a few other matters, and built some rapport, the problem may feel less insurmountable…

The best lessons I learnt are respect and truth. Opinions may differ, deals can be done or can fail, but people relationships are those that remain.

Escalate. If you can find a point that can cause a rift on the other side’s team, press and press hard. It’s a tactic that should be used sparingly.

Is it the position (s) or is it the people. What are the facts vs the personalities. Sometimes knowing what the priorities of the other side helps, as well as what deal points get the most “personal “ value

It is always better to explore the reasons behind the impasse. Many times parties are hesitant to share their concern openly, In a deal in Africa, we were planning to bring Trucks from China in Semi assembled condition in Containers, and reassemble them in Africa. The prospective client was unsure about our ability to do the assembly work After exploring deeper the reasons for hesitancy were revealed. Then we took them to our workshop and showed them our Equipment and facilities After this the deal was completed successfully