Trade across differing priorities
Give on what you value less to get what you value more — and have them do the same.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Give on what you value less to get what you value more — and have them do the same.
- Why it works: When two sides rank issues differently, each can concede on a low-priority issue to win a high-priority one, so both gain net value with no real sacrifice (logrolling). Differences in priorities, not similarities, are the engine of integrative value.
- Evidence: Backed by observational / correlational evidence.
- Avoid: Negotiating each issue separately and splitting every one down the middle, which forfeits the gains from trading across them.
Why it works
When two sides rank issues differently, each can concede on a low-priority issue to win a high-priority one, so both gain net value with no real sacrifice (logrolling). Differences in priorities, not similarities, are the engine of integrative value.
How to do it
- 1List all issues and privately rank each by importance to you.
- 2Probe their rankings, then offer trades: your low-priority for their low-priority.
- 3Bundle issues so you can trade across them rather than settling each in isolation.
What the evidence says
ObservationalLogrolling / trading on priority differences to reach integrative outcomes is a well-established finding in negotiation research.
Honest caveat: Requires multiple issues and genuinely differing priorities; with a single issue there is nothing to trade across.
Common mistake
Negotiating each issue separately and splitting every one down the middle, which forfeits the gains from trading across them.
IX Coach helps you rank your issues and discover the other side’s priorities, so you find the trades that make both of you better off.
Practice this with IX Coach →