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Since I teach negotiation skills as part of an effective personal brand, I often get a very simple, yet complex question. People often wonder where is the best location/premise for them to hold face-to-face negotiations. There are two schools of thought on this topic.
Some claim that you should always invite the other party to your turf and negotiate at your own office or at the place of your choosing. Many believe this gives you a “home court” mental and physical advantage. You have access to your own staff and documents as well as having the comfort and familiarity of your own space. Plus, you set the initial rules starting with where you meet to negotiate.
Others are of the belief that you should negotiate at your opponent’s premises/office/location. The logic here is that you get to have your opponent comfortable on their own turf so that you can get concessions on items they don’t see coming. In addition, some prefer to be out of their own office so they don’t have any interruptions or distractions like calls and emails. I never found either of these “benefits” to truly be benefits when negotiating. To avoid distractions, just turn off your emails and your phone. As far as getting your opponent too cushy, if your opponent is one to fall prey to this distraction, then I don’t think you had much of a difficult negotiation anyway.
Perhaps the biggest reason people like to negotiate on opponent’s premises is because if you are thrown a tough question/topic you can use the excuse that you left certain documents/information at your office, thus you’ll have to “get back to them” and i.e, stall. While I suppose this logic is possible, it fails on its merits. Negotiations are successful when you are honest and have integrity. Thus, you preserve and strengthen your personal brand. If you’ve done your homework well and are ready for a negotiation, you’ll never be caught off so much that you’ll need to stall. And if it does happen to you, just be honest and stay authentic.
So what does this mean for you? I’ve never been involved in a negotiation that was won or lost due to the turf. In my opinion, it really doesn’t matter where you negotiate as long as you know how to negotiate well and do so with integrity.
