What is the difference between collaboration and negotiation, and can you do one without the other?

Here is an excellent post by Richard Brattle that inspires the above question.

In an earlier article, I wrote that in the future, the best negotiators will be the best collaborators.”

• What do you think of his points 1 through 5?*

• Is a successful negotiation possible without collaboration in a complex acquisition?

• Do low-dollar, high-volume transactions, e.g., MRO and ORM Indirect spend, require as much collaboration as high-dollar, low-volume Direct spend?

What are your thoughts?

Five Points

* It is not always going to be possible to include the ultimate decision-maker in your negotiations, but here are a few useful steps you can take.

1️⃣ Start by asking upfront about your negotiation partner’s role and decision-making authority. Make sure you are dealing with the right individuals.
2️⃣ Keep your documents on lockdown with track changes. 
3️⃣ Maintain a clean, working version of your agreements. 
4️⃣ After your sessions, send out a recap that spells out what’s been agreed upon and what’s pending resolution, including owners and due dates for actions. 
5️⃣ And remember, your negotiation partner is a human too. Sometimes, they might need a little support to make things happen internally.

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