By Ben Byth | 07.06.22
Has Your Halo Slipped?
Negotiations can be divided into two broad categories: one-off transactions and long-term commitments. If it is the latter, then a…
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By Ben Byth | 31.05.22
Beware The Long Memory
People have long memories; particularly of slights, unfair treatment or complaints that haven’t been resolved. I was reminded of this…
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By Ben Byth | 17.05.22
The Death Of The Joke
‘The joke’ was heading towards life-support even before the Oscar meltdown. Now, we have revelations about how a joke about…
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By Ben Byth | 10.05.22
Braided Is Better
Professional fishers use braided line… I borrowed a friend’s fishing rod recently and noticed that they used braided line (2…
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By Ben Byth | 03.05.22
The Art of De-Escalation: When Should We Back-Down
A while ago I was engaged in a favourite hobby, back-country hiking with a group of friends, when a scenario…
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By Ben Byth | 26.04.22
What To Do With a Tuna Sandwich
A friend emerged from a bakery carrying a small packet of mixed sandwiches – you know, the sort they give…
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By Ben Byth | 19.04.22
Anger In Negotiations – The Unwelcome Ingredient
About 15 years ago I was involved in a strategic negotiation between a supplier and their customer, where the contracted…
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By Ben Byth | 12.04.22
Perils of Complacency in Long-Term Negotiating Relationships
There are many circumstances in business where two seemingly independent entities are in practice mutually inter-dependant. Inter-dependence may arise in…
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By Ben Byth | 05.04.22
Don’t Leave Price Till Last
Having worked on thousands of deals, I’ve often seen that the most difficult issues are left till last, and it’s normally…
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By Ben Byth | 29.03.22
The Importance of Relationship
People can be amazingly generous with their effort. I ran into a client boarding a short flight from Brisbane to…
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By Ben Byth | 15.03.22
Would You Get a Goldfish to Design a Submarine?
Would you get a goldfish to design a submarine? Such a ridiculous question and yet, research undertaken by Microsoft indicates…
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By Ben Byth | 08.03.22
A Busted Business Model?
The business model of large developers has traditionally run something like this: Secure a development site and gain necessary planning…
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