Programme outline
Programme Stages
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Stage 1 — Objective Setting
How to define clear, realistic goals before entering any negotiation -
Stage 2 — Party Research
Methods for gathering information on the other side's likely priorities and constraints -
Stage 3 — BATNA Development
Building and assessing alternatives so you negotiate from an informed position -
Stage 4 — Friction Point Planning
Identifying the issues most likely to cause problems and preparing responses in advance -
Stage 5 — Preparation Audit
Peer review of each participant's preparation process using a structured checklist
Full description
What this covers
Most failed negotiations are lost before they start. Preparation is where the real work happens — not at the table.
What preparation actually means
Preparation is not just knowing the asking price and the comparable sales. It means understanding what the other party is likely to prioritise, what their constraints are, and what a genuinely good outcome looks like for everyone involved.
Agent Cormac Whelan, who works primarily in rural residential sales, found that building a preparation checklist reduced the number of deals that stalled in the final stages of negotiation.
Preparation in a shifting market
Shifts in the regional property market make preparation more demanding. Comparable data from three months ago may not reflect current buyer sentiment, lender appetite, or seller urgency.
The framework covers
- Defining your own objectives and limits before any conversation begins
- Researching the other party's likely constraints and pressures
- Identifying the issues most likely to create friction and planning for them
- Building a negotiation agenda that keeps momentum moving forward
- BATNA analysis
- Understanding your best alternative to a negotiated agreement — and theirs — is a core part of this framework.
Preparation does not guarantee a good outcome. It does mean you are less likely to be surprised by something you could have anticipated.