Big Deals

How to design, navigate
and negotiate complex deals

The dealmaking challenge
 60-70% of high-stakes complex deals fail even when managed by experienced
negotiators.
 Instead of achieving their Best Possible Agreement (BPA) dealmakers end up
settling for Barely Acceptable Deals (BAD).
 Poor deal management is a root cause of many project failures.
Deal NaviGater
Copyright © Aha! Advantage 2013 2

 Multiple parties
 Difficult personalities
 Competing interests
 Tight deadlines
 High costs of failure or delays
Big high-stakes negotiations are minefields of risk

Poor deal design is compounded by counter productive face to
face tactics
 Negotiator ego and hubris
 Inappropriate style
 Positional bargaining
 Short term focus
 Ignored emotions

 Tolerance for Barely Acceptable Deals (BAD)
 Wrong parties
 Misread interests
 Misjudged walkaways
 Incorrect deal sequence
 Misaligned relationship processes
Most deal killing mistakes are made away from the table

To calculate your deal risk square the number
of parties you have to negotiate with
No of parties Deal Complexity
1 party Complexity 1
2 parties Complexity 4
3 parties Complexity 9
Deal risk increases exponentially as no of parties rises

Big complex deals often fall victim to the Triangle of Doom
High value/
low cost changes
High cost/
low value changes
Lesson: Deal design and navigation are keys to big deal success
Time

Use the Deal NaviGater management process to manage
large, complex deals

Deal NaviGater relentlessly manages process from start to finish
Deal
Gate 1
Prototype
your best
possible
agreement
(BPA)
Deal
Gate 2
Sequence your
moves to
agreement
Deal
Gate 3
Design your
value-
optimizing
strategy
Deal
Gate 4
Align your
relationship
management
processes
Deal
Gate 5
Negotiate for
agreement
Identify the critical
stakeholders
Identify the best parties
to negotiate with
Complete a preliminary
deal
assessment
Identify BATNAs
Order and choose your
critical parties
Map decision-making
process
Build internal coalitions
of support within each
party
Manage information
flow
Develop timeline
Expand total net pie
Identify interests
Dovetail differences
Establish rules of
engagement
Fix dispute resolution
process
Establish
communication
protocols
Manage emotions
Sell your case
Use problem solving
tactics
Trade concessions
ESTABLISH GOAL SET DIRECTION DEFINE STRATEGY
OPTIMIZE
RELATIONSHIP
CHOOSE TACTICS
Deal Design and Navigation:
Away from the table
Deal execution:
At the table

Deal NaviGater helps you navigate and manage your way through
the deal design and setup process, keeping you in control

Deal NaviGater shows you how to:
 Identify critical stakeholders
 Identify the best parties to negotiate
with
 Analyze stakeholder interests
 Identify parties BATNAs (no-deal
options)
Deal
Gate 1
Prototype your
best possible
agreement
(BPA)
Deal NaviGater starts with the ideal deal in mind

 Choose and sequence your critical parties in
the order you need to negotiate
 Map each party’s decision-making process
 Build internal coalition of supporters with
each party
 Manage your information flow
 Plot achievable timelines and milestones
Deal
Gate 2
Sequence your
moves to
agreement
Deal NaviGater sequences your forward moves to agreement

 Expand your total-net pie
 Probe behind positions to identify
interests
 Dovetail differences to unlock joint gains
 Different interests
 Different valuations
 Different attitudes towards risk
Deal
Gate 3
Design your
value-optimizing
strategy
Deal NaviGater expands the total-net pie before you
trade concessions

Deal NaviGater:
 Establishes rules of engagement
 Sets up a dispute resolution process
 Formulates agendas
 Establishes external communication protocols
 Helps you manage emotions
Deal
Gate 4
Align your
relationship
management
processes
Deal NaviGater aligns your relationship processes to
your strategy

When you’re ready to negotiate face to face, Deal NaviGater gives
you a seven step disciplined process

 Managing the process allows you
to shape the result.
Deal
Gate 5
Negotiate for
agreement
Respect Model
The RESPECT seven step bargaining sequence gives negotiators
control of the bargaining process

Deal NaviGater incorporates “traffic lights” stage gate go/no go
decision points

Go/no go decision points
Deal Gates Go/No Go Roadblocks Actions
1 Deal Structure
 Identified best parties
 Assessed interests
 Identified right BATNAs
 Mapped decision making process
2 Sequence Management
 Sequence choices
 Managed information flow
3 Deal Strategy
 Optimize total net-pie
 Satisfy interests
 Dovetail differences
4 Relationship Management
 Dispute resolution process
 Rules of engagement
5 Negotiating Tactics
 Persuasive skills
 Tactics
 Concession trading

Failure is common even on well-run projects.
Deal NaviGater boosts the odds of project success where projects are characterized by:
 High Uncertainty - uncertainty is the amount we don’t know at project initiation.
Deal NaviGater gives you the tools to cope with an uncertain future.
 High Complexity - Multiple parties with competing goals and/or multiple sub-systems.
Deal NaviGater aligns competing interests to the project’s strategic goal.
 Time-Critical Goals - Time pressure accelerates the need for negotiation.
Deal NaviGater helps resolve deadline issues.
 Demanding Stakeholders - Little tolerance for projects that fail to meet the business case.
Deal NaviGater keeps the project focused on the business drivers.
Deal NaviGater complements and strengthens existing project
management systems

Known
risks
Unknown
risks
(Uncertainty)
Deal NaviGater handles uncertainty
(unknown risks) much better than
traditional project management tools.
Deal NaviGater significantly improves a project manager’s
ability to manage uncertainty (unknown risks)

Deal NaviGater comes as a complete deal design and
management suite

1. Five Foundations Playbook 200 page strategic deal and relationship management guide
2. Five Foundations Toolbox 22 powerful deal-shaping tools
3. Deal Tracker “Traffic lights” deal management and audit process
4. StreetSmart Negotiator 196 page field guide for negotiating face-to-face
5. Web Platform Work on your deals anytime, anywhere
6. Customized Training Turn negotiation into a core competency
7. Deal-making Advice Coaching and support for specific negotiations
7 Value-Adding Components
The Deal NaviGater management suite

 200 page accessible strategy and tactical playbook
 Forms the heart of Deal NaviGater System
Component 1: Dealmaking playbook

 Includes 22 of deal-shaping, value-optimizing tools
 Tools developed and tested over 25 years with
clients such as Toyota, PwC, and Unilever
Component 2: Dealmaking toolbox

 Allows senior executives to manage, track and
evaluate progress in high-stakes deals
 Allows delays, cost overviews and relationship
issues to be solved while small
Component 3: “Traffic lights” go/no go deal tracker

 Harry Mills’ acclaimed field guide, The StreetSmart
Negotiator gives negotiators:
 The practical tips and tactics they need when
bargaining face-to-face
 A disciplined 7 step process which can be
actively managed and audited
Component 4: Tactical field guide

 The Deal NaviGater Playbook and Toolbox is
accessible online through its own secure web portal
so your team can manage deals:
 Anytime
 Anywhere
Component 5: Online, on-demand web platform

 Our experiential, simulation based training
upskills your team so they can negotiate with
skill and confidence
 Make negotiation skills a core competency
Component 6: Customized training

 Our 25 years of practical deal-making experience
means we can advise and coach on:
 Resolving disputes
 Acquisitions and mergers
 Joint ventures and alliances
 Major sales
 Procurement and outsourcing deals
Component 7: Dealmaking coaching and advisory support

 Harry Mills, the creator of Deal NaviGater, is the author of 26 books including 3 on
negotiation: Negotiate: the Seven Step Master Plan, The Dealmaker’s Handbook, and The
StreetSmart Negotiator
 Harry Mills is the mentor on persuasion for the Harvard Manage/Mentor Program
 Harry’s thinking has been featured by Entrepreneur Magazine, Sales & Marketing Magazine,
Business Today, Selling Power, Bottomline Business and USA Today
 Underpinned by 25 years of practical deal making experience working with clients such as
Toyota, GE, PwC and Kimberly Clark
 Built on two decades of research on negotiation, persuasion and strategic deal management
Deal NaviGater program based on deep expertise

 Minimizes risks inherent in difficult deals and projects
 Transparent phase gate go/no go process which can be actively
managed for risk by senior management
 Boosts odds of success in large, complex negotiations
 Process and tools used by who’s who of global companies and
organizations such as Toyota, GE, and Ericsson
 Auditable, risk-managed, self-adjusting process
 Developed by Harry Mills, author of 3 books on negotiation and
Harvard Manage/Mentor on persuasion
 Underpinned by 25 years of practical deal-making experience and
breakthrough research
The benefits of Deal NaviGater

Contact
For more information on DealNavigater
please contact:
Harry Mills
CEO, The Aha! Advantage
Phone: +64 4 499 6770
Mobile: +64 21 452 256
Email: harry.mills@ahaadvantage.com
www.ahaadvantage.com

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