BeCuriouzLearn something new every day
The number that decides every negotiation before it starts
💡 Your real leverage in any negotiation is the quality of your best option away from the table — improve that, and the deal improves itself.
Most people think the key to a negotiation is a clever tactic used at the table. In reality, your power is largely set before you say a word — by your BATNA, your Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. Coined in the classic Getting to Yes, your BATNA is simply what you'll do if this deal falls through: the other job offer, the second contractor's bid, walking away and keeping your money.
The insight is that you should never accept a deal that's worse than your BATNA — and you should rarely settle for one only marginally better. If a job pays $70k but you have a standing $75k offer elsewhere, your BATNA says walk. The negotiation isn't really about the number on the table; it's about the number waiting in the wings.
This flips how you prepare. Instead of rehearsing arguments, you strengthen your alternatives first — line up a second buyer, a backup supplier, a rival offer. A stronger BATNA lets you say no credibly, and the willingness to walk away is what actually moves the other side. It also warns you to estimate their BATNA: someone with no alternatives will concede far more than someone with plenty.
Source: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In