Quote
“The reason you negotiate is to produce something better than the results you can obtain without negotiating.”
— Roger Fisher & William Ury, in Getting to Yes (1981) · Getting to Yes →
Why it was said
Roger Fisher and William Ury make this point in the part of Getting to Yes that deals with a more powerful other side, where they introduce the BATNA, the best alternative to a negotiated agreement. The line explains why that alternative, not a hoped-for number, is the real measure of any deal.
What it actually means
It sounds obvious, and it is one of the most ignored ideas in negotiation. People walk in knowing what they want and not knowing what they will do if they do not get it. Without that second answer, every offer is judged against a wish, so a mediocre deal can feel like a win and a good one like a loss. Fisher and Ury turn the question around: before asking what you can get, ask what you already have if you walk away. That alternative protects you from accepting terms you should refuse and from refusing terms you should accept. It is also where most of your power comes from, because the better your alternative, the less you need this particular agreement.
How to use it
- 1Before any negotiation, write down concretely what you will do if no agreement is reached; that is your BATNA.
- 2Spend time improving that alternative, another offer, another supplier, another buyer, before you spend time polishing arguments.
- 3Judge the final offer against your BATNA, not against the number you hoped for.