Thinking
LATEST FROM MARK
Ideas, analysis and provocation on commercial negotiation.
The Silence Problem
Most negotiators fill silence. They offer concessions, add justifications, or simply keep talking — not because it helps them, but because silence feels like losing. It isn't.
Selling Is Not Negotiating
Sales and negotiation are not the same thing. They require different mindsets, different behaviours and different measures of success. Conflating them is one of the most expensive mistakes in commercial life.
The Trump Tariff Playbook
Whatever your politics, the tariff negotiations of 2025 offered a masterclass in one particular negotiation strategy: the deliberate use of chaos as a power tool.
A is for Anchoring
Anchoring is the cognitive bias that causes people to rely too heavily on the first piece of information they receive. In negotiation, the first number stated — the anchor — shapes everything that follows.
The Premier League Negotiator
The transfer window is one of the most compressed, high-stakes negotiating environments in commercial life. Deadlines are real. Information is asymmetric. Relationships are everything — and nothing.
B is for BATNA
BATNA — Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement — is the concept that defines your real power in any negotiation. Not your position. Not your arguments. Your alternatives.
Climate Control in Practice
The climate of a negotiation — the emotional and relational atmosphere in the room — is not something that happens to you. It is something you can actively manage. Most negotiators don't.
Cross-Cultural Negotiation: The Basics
The most common mistake in cross-cultural negotiation is treating cultural differences as a checklist. 'In Japan, exchange business cards with two hands.' 'In the Middle East, don't schedule meetings on Fridays.' This is not cultural intelligence. It is cultural tourism.
TNI Intellectual Property
THE IDEAS BEHIND THE WORK
The Five Fundamentals, Climate Control, Power and Culture are not just speaking topics. They are the conceptual architecture of everything Mark Davis does.