It's not unusual to see situations in which neither side has a clear idea of what they really want out of a business negotiation beyond one or two simple items. When people are asked about their negotiation goals, a great many state they have no goals at all.  This is, at least in part, because they approach negotiation with a tactical rather than a strategic mind-set and, as a result, are much more concerned with figuring out how to get there than with where they want to go.  This is a problem because, among other things, not knowing where you want to go can make it very difficult - if not impossible - to get there!

So, what is a reasonable goal for business negotiations? What kind of goal can result in both parties walking away from the table with even more value than they expected going into the negotiation? Stop for a moment and think about this as a possible goal:  to create joint value and divide it given concerns for fairness in the ongoing realtionship.

If you're like most people, at this point you're likely to say something like, "Get real! My clients don't do business that way!" or "Buyers aren't interested in creating value, much less in being fair!" The fact is, though, when you create joint value and divide it given concerns for fairness in the ongoing relationship, both sides benefit.

Aiming to create joint value and divide it given concerns for fairness in the ongoing relationship changes the very nature of the negotiation in a variety of positive ways.  One of these is helping you create and negotiate larger, rather than smaller, deals because it leads to tactics that are more likely to yield larger deals.  As a result, even if it doesn't work every time, in the end you make more money because the individual deals themselves are larger. 

Another benefit is the positive effect on the atmosphere and tone of the negotiation as a result of sharing the goal with your customers.  Of course, those on the other side of the table, not surprisingly, tend to be very skeptical at first.  But once you've proved that you mean what you're offering over the course of several negotiations, your sincerity not only makes individual negotiations easier and more productive, it has a postive impact on the ongoing relationship between you and your customer.

What thoughts do you have on to create joint value and divide it given concerns for fairness in the ongoing realtionship as a goal for business negotiations?