Getting to We : Negotiating Agreements for Highly Collaborative Relationships

Current negotiation practices are outdated and do businesses more harm than good. It's time for a change. For years, businesses have worked under the assumption that the goal of negotiation is simply to get the deal. Hundreds of books have been written on 'getting to yes,' 'getting past no,' and 'getting more'the prevalent assumption being 'Get a signature, and you're done.' But this narrows the focus down strictly to the strategies and tactics needed to negotiate this deal, this time, under this set of termswith no thought for the future. More and more, business success depends on strategic relationships built for an ever-dynamic and interconnected world that will endure long after 'the deal is done.' For many organizations, this ongoing relationship is as important as the deal itself. The focus needs to be on developing evolving and mutually beneficial relationships that create shared value, solve mutual problems, and get both parties to a place of 'we' rather than the usual 'us vs. them' tug of war. Drawing on best practices and real examples from companies achieving record results, Getting to We flips conventional negotiation on its head and shifts the perspective to where it belongs: viewing the relationship as the substance of the deal, not merely a 'one and done' transaction. From the team that developed the Vested business model for highly collaborative relationships and experts in the field of negotiation, this innovative book provides both sides of the negotiation table with the tools they need to create mutual, long-lasting, successful business relationships in today's new business world.