Introduction to Negotiation: A Strategic Playbook for Becoming a Principled and Persuasive Negotiator | Online Course Support
Brigitte has a gas station for sale, which Albert is interested in purchasing. Based on the financials, Albert firmly believes the station is worth more than $800k. However, he has been authorized to pay up to but no more than $520k. Brigitte has a firm offer for $500k but would like to get $600k. The negotiations break down. At this point, Albert has come up to $520k, and Brigitte has come down to $560k. Which of these is Albert’s best course of action?
While some people think it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission, it’s better still to get a deal that doesn’t require either. Albert would like to buy the station. If he can get an option to buy the station at $560k, that’s better than violating his authority to go above $520k. Even if he does get such an option, he can still come back and offer $540k. (“I couldn’t get approval for $560k, but I did get approval for $540k.”) The problem with (d) is that he is offering to buy the station at a price that exceeds his authority.
