Prepare for a Vendor Negotiation
Added 2026-11-01
Set your walk-away point and alternatives before discussing price and terms.
I am negotiating a renewal with a vendor next week (details below). Prepare me: 1) my walk-away points for price, payment terms and scope; 2) my BATNA — the most realistic alternative if we cannot agree; 3) the three things the vendor cares about most, which I can trade; 4) how to open and what to discuss first; 5) two common price-pressure lines and my responses; 6) five clauses to put in writing afterwards.
Site original
Chinese original
How to use
谈判前先想好「谈不成怎么办」，价格才有底气。
Try tweaking it
- Have it state how the hypothesis could be falsified before discussing execution.
- Split the plan into a one-week testable experiment.
What you should get
- A small testable experiment with a failure threshold
- Costs, risks, and what needs outside confirmation
Common mistakes
- Asking for a "full business plan" and getting unverifiable optimistic assumptions.
- No failure threshold, so you never know whether to continue.
How to check the output
- There is a clear failure threshold, testable within a week.
- Costs, assumptions and risks are listed separately.
Where it works
- Good for: turning business assumptions into a small testable experiment with a failure threshold first.
- Watch out: for pricing, contracts and legal points, treat output as a draft needing professional review.