Reduce their Alternatives
Make a no deal less attractive to them
Ensure a deal better than alternatives
Use Case: Negotiate with lower power
Purpose
Increase our chances of a good deal by reducing the other party’s perceived quality of their alternatives, thus increasing their motivation to reach agreement with us.
When to Use
Early on (ideally before the first interaction) it is important to start understanding what the other party may do in case of no deal and how we can influence their alternatives.
References
Peter D. Johnston, Negotiating with Giants: Get what you want against the odds (Negotiation Press, 2012), chapter 3: Level the Playing Field: Make Them Smaller and Weaker