The Importance of Aligning Perceptions

Having information about your negotiation partner’s perceptions is an important element of negotiation success. When your expectations of a negotiated outcome are based on faulty information, it is likely that the other party will not take you seriously. Take, for example, the following story told to one of the authors:

At the end of a job interview, the recruiter asked the enthusiastic MBA student, “And what starting salary were you looking for?”

The MBA candidate replied, “I would like to start in the neighborhood of $150,000 per year, depending on your benefits package.”

The recruiter said, “Well, what would you say to a package of five weeks’ vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental coverage, company matching retirement fund up to 50 percent of your salary, and a new company car leased for your use every two years… say, a red Porsche?”

The MBA sat up straight and said, “Wow! Are you kidding?”

“Of course,” said the recruiter. “But you started it.”