CBN Principled Negotiation Strategy 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A vendor insists on a fixed price, but you need flexibility due to budget constraints. Which principled negotiation move addresses this positional deadlock?
- Make a counter-offer immediately
- Ask 'why' to uncover the vendor's underlying interest (Correct answer)
- Walk away to signal leverage
- Escalate to senior management
Correct answer: Ask 'why' to uncover the vendor's underlying interest
Asking why reveals the underlying interest behind a position, opening space for creative solutions that satisfy both parties.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes a 'negotiation judo' technique from Getting to Yes?
- Matching the other party's aggression with equal force
- Redirecting the other party's attack by stepping aside and turning it into an exploration of interests (Correct answer)
- Using silence as a pressure tactic
- Anchoring aggressively at the outset
Correct answer: Redirecting the other party's attack by stepping aside and turning it into an exploration of interests
Negotiation judo involves deflecting attacks rather than resisting them, refocusing energy on problem-solving.
Question 3: In the one-text procedure, what is the primary purpose of circulating a single draft document?
- To commit both parties to the first proposal
- To save time by eliminating back-and-forth offers
- To build a joint solution incrementally by inviting criticism rather than commitment (Correct answer)
- To establish your position as the default agreement
Correct answer: To build a joint solution incrementally by inviting criticism rather than commitment
The one-text procedure uses a single evolving draft to collect criticism and improvements without locking either party into positions.
Question 4: Your BATNA is weak heading into a negotiation. What is the most strategically sound response?
- Conceal this fact and bluff aggressively
- Strengthen your BATNA before or during the negotiation (Correct answer)
- Accept the first reasonable offer
- Delay the negotiation indefinitely
Correct answer: Strengthen your BATNA before or during the negotiation
Improving your BATNA before entering negotiation increases your actual leverage and reservation point.
Question 5: Which objective criterion would be most appropriate when negotiating the sale price of commercial real estate?
- The seller's original purchase price
- Recent comparable sales (comps) in the same market (Correct answer)
- The seller's desired retirement fund amount
- The buyer's maximum borrowing capacity
Correct answer: Recent comparable sales (comps) in the same market
Comparable market sales are an independent, verifiable standard that both parties can accept as fair.
Question 6: A counterpart uses a 'good cop/bad cop' routine during negotiations. What is the recommended principled response?
- Play along and adopt your own theatrical roles
- Name the tactic openly and redirect discussion to the issues (Correct answer)
- Refuse to negotiate further until the team changes
- Escalate to the 'bad cop' directly to call the bluff
Correct answer: Name the tactic openly and redirect discussion to the issues
Explicitly naming a manipulative tactic neutralizes it without attacking the people personally.
Question 7: Reframing in principled negotiation means:
- Changing the physical location of the negotiation to reduce tension
- Restating a position as an interest or a problem to be jointly solved (Correct answer)
- Rewriting the contract language after the deal is closed
- Shifting blame from one party to a shared external factor
Correct answer: Restating a position as an interest or a problem to be jointly solved
Reframing transforms positional statements into interest-based or problem-solving language, opening collaborative space.
CBN Principled Negotiation Strategy 2
A vendor insists on a fixed price, but you need flexibility due to budget constraints.
Which principled negotiation move addresses this positional deadlock?