Give Up What You WANT To Get What You NEED

In our post titled, ‘Learning To Get What You Want In A Negotiation’ we discussed the importance of separating your positions (what you say you want) from your interests (the underlying need that shapes your positions). 

You can expect that in most scenarios, unless the other party completely folds, it is highly unlikely that you will get 100% of our interests met.  To increase the chances that you get your most important interests fulfilled, while simultaneously maximize the probability of an agreement, we should use the log-rolling technique.  Using this approach, you give up on the interests that are of lower value to you (and possibly higher value to the other party) to secure your own high priority interests.  It also shows you to be reasonable person who is willing to compromise when the situation asks for it.

The first step in using log-rolling is to prioritize your interests in terms of their value to you.  (If you believe that they are all equally important, then you are setting up the log-rolling technique to fail.) Next, you should use active listening skills to find out the interests and priorities of the other party.  This will give the concessions you provide during the give and take process to be more effective. 

Let’s look at how logrolling works in the following scenario:

Scenario 

Jill is a recent graduate who is currently unemployed and living at home.  Because of the tough economy and her lack of experience, she is finding it difficult to land a job.  Jill is currently interviewing with a company that is exactly in the field in which she want to focus her career.  Working at this could give her an enormous amount of experience but the salary for this position is below the market rate. Jill desperately wants to move out of her parents’ house and has just been invited to share an apartment with two of her best friends from college. Jill has been offered a position at the company and is now negotiating the terms of her possible employment.

We already know that Jill will not get everything that she wants in her negotiations, but first let’s take a look at their interests: (i) to gain employment; (ii) to gain experience in her chosen field; (iii) to be able to move out of her parents’ house in order to get more space and privacy. Now that we know this, how should she approach this negotiation?

Though Jill really wants to move out of her parents’ house, and the salary for this position would not allow this, she believes that having a job in a bad economy plus getting experience in her chosen field are more important.  Her employer, is a start-up company with limited financial means so an increase in the salary offered was not an option.  However, they do have a lot of responsibilities for new hires;  so, Jill will get hands-on experience from the get-go. 

Upon accepting the position, Jill gave up on her desire to move in with her college friends because her income would not allow it.  She decided to stay in her parents' home managed to get some extra space and privacy by turning the basement into an apartment in exchange for a nominal rent that she could afford on her lower salary.

As you can see, log-rolling only works if you are prepared.  As such, you must already know what your interests and priorities are; you must be willing to engage in active listening to find out about the interests and priorities of the other party to the deal; and you must try to encourage a collaborative environment so that will encourage a more open give and take process.