01.
List Variables
If you donʼt know the rules, you canʼt play the
game. And to have a logic-driven negotiation,
everyone must agree to the variables that are
in play before the game starts.
Thatʼs why the first step of the framework is
to work with the buyer to establish what it is
you two have to work with.
What do they hope to leave these
negotiations with? What resources do they
have to make this a fair exchange? And in the
interest of transparency, what are your
available resources?
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Itʼs important to understand the variables in But youʼre going to stay strong, let them
the negotiation and we do that by finish, and then repeat, “The way these
immediately taking control of the negotiations usually work is…”
negotiation. At the beginning of the
negotiation, you can take control by saying: Eventually, the buyer will say OK, and you
can start laying out all the options that you
“The way these negotiations usually work have to work with.
is that Iʼll share all the options I have to
negotiate with and then you can share how
things look on your side. Does that make
sense?”
The buyer might push back and start trying
to make demands. And thatʼs OK.
 02. Start With a “No”
In step one of the framework, itʼs very likely
youʼve only identified the surface-level
variables that can be used to wrap up the
negotiation in a package of value that both
sides are happy with.
Most buyers wonʼt tell you the full picture up
front as theyʼve been burned by other sellers
in the past. Additionally, the media machine
portrays negotiations as battles rather than
friendly exchanges and so the buyer might
still have their guard up, too.
Itʼs not until somebody says “no” that you
understand where theyʼre willing to go. Itʼs
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only when the buyer says, unequivocally,
“no” to a variable that you know itʼs not in
play.
This process also forces the buyer to use
their Human Brain to think logically about
what they want, rather than using their
Caveman Brain to share what they feel they
should get.
Thatʼs why your next move is to uncover the
real boundaries by getting your buyer to
refuse a deal parameter.
The goal here isnʼt to bully the buyer into
saying “no.” The goal is to politely test their
boundaries so you can say logically, “This is
where you are, this is where I am.” If there is
some overlap, then there is room to make a
deal happen.
You can use the Selling Made Simple Closing
Framework to uncover the “no” by asking:
Would it make sense to [low
offer], for [high exchange in
resources]?
 03. Invent New Variables
At this point in the negotiation, you have
labeled the obvious variables that both sides
have to get a deal done. You then uncovered
what the buyer absolutely wonʼt agree to by
getting a “no” out of them.
This step is simple: invent new variables to
help the deal get made.
You might have lots of leeway here. You
might be able to adjust pricing, give extra
consulting/training, or change up the other
variables that have been outlined so far in
the negotiation. If you do have that power,
you can use those adjustments or added
benefits to sweeten the pot for your buyer.
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These creative deal options give you a lot
more freedom when it comes to maximizing
the value of your deal. They can also serve as
enticing perks that bring buyers back from
the brink of walking away.
So ask the buyer:
Is there anything else that
you think we can add to the
conversation here, that we
havenʼt discussed already
to make this process quick
and simple?
Let the buyer coach you on exactly what they
want and pay attention. They might desire
something that is really easy to implement
like a meeting with your CFO to discuss
industry strategy or extended payment
terms. You donʼt know what will get them
excited about a deal unless you ask.
Allowing both sides to think a little outside of
the box at this step of the negotiation can
accelerate the rest of the process
dramatically.
04. Get to a “Thatʼs Fair”
So far we have been laying the groundwork
for the negotiation. Now itʼs time to take
some action. There is one thing however that
you must keep in mind…
The goal of a negotiation is not (I repeat, is
not) to win.
For you to win, the buyer must lose.
And for the buyer to win, you must lose.
Instead, the goal of a negotiation is to make
sure everyone involved agrees that the
outcome is fair. Itʼs to find options with
enough overlap that everyone will leave
satisfied.
As weʼre negotiating logically and weʼve
already uncovered the data on what the
buyer will and will not accept, we can be very
literal in this step of the framework.
Weʼre going to ask the buyer:
You said you couldnʼt do [X], I
canʼt do [Y]. Is it fair to do [Z]?
SECTION 1 - SKILLS | 43
 The Logical The Logical Negotiations Framework is the Weʼre going to document all the options that

Negotiations best way to create a win-win outcome that we have to make the deal happen, find the
everyone, both you and the buyer, can walk point at which both sides are willing to walk

Framework away happy. away, and then build from there to get to a
point of agreement where everyone is happy.

LIST START INVENT "THAT'S "IF I...

VARIABLES WITH "NO" VARIABLES FAIR" WILL YOU..."

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