How Negotiable Are You? Discovering Your True Potential

Two individuals shop for groceries and reach for the last orange. Neither wants to give it up, so they both hold on until they realize they cannot have it.

One person suggests, "I'll grab a knife and cut it in half."

The first person takes their half, uses the orange rind to make marmalade, and discards the fruit inside. The second person uses the fruit from their half to make juice and throws away the rind. Both individuals assumed splitting the orange in half was the best solution to get what they wanted (they took "positions"). However, if they had asked questions and learned more about each other (and their underlying "interests"), they both could have obtained precisely what they wanted in full (by being "creative").

Most of us learn about negotiating through trial and error. We may first realize that someone took advantage of us and, in response, decide to toughen up to ensure it never happens again. Only later do we understand that being tough does not always lead to the long-term outcomes we desire.

The best sales negotiators work between these two extremes. They avoid taking rigid positions, use curiosity to understand the underlying interests of others, and then find creative ways to satisfy everyone's interests.

The Orange fable is a valuable reminder that others do not have to lose for us to win.