EN DE

THE HUMAN SIGNAL

Every negotiation is decided three times.

Before the table. At the table. Inside the negotiator.

For people who negotiate and carry the consequence.

The penalty clause was there to protect the buyer. In 2013, the buyer's own consultant warned the ceiling would soon be reached.

In 2010 SBB ordered 59 trains from Bombardier. The delay penalties had a ceiling, the buyer's own change requests became the supplier's argument, and most of what the 2023 settlement lists came as war... ...more

Deal Analysis

October 08, 2026•2 min read

The penalty clause was there to protect the buyer. In 2013, the buyer's own consultant warned the ceiling would soon be reached.

WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS

Two thirds of a negotiation happens before anyone reaches the table.

Inside the negotiator's own organisation. Research conversations with heads of sales and procurement said it first. A survey of four thousand buyers measured the same thing from the other side. Training usually starts at the table.

THE METHOD

Read the signal

The counterparty, the room, and our own system, while it is still happening.

The pause before a number.

The concession that arrives too easily.

Decide from structure

A prepared move instead of a reaction. Preparation as a process that fits into a working week, and a review after, so the next one starts further ahead.

Stay clear under pressure

Sleep, recovery and nervous system state decide how much of the first two survives a hard hour. Treated as part of the deal, on the same logic a competition treats it.