Thought Leadership

Explore our library of resources for helpful tips, deep-dive analysis and blue-sky thinking, all researched and authored by Scotwork’s negotiation experts. See below for a wide choice of hot topics, eBooks, whitepapers and videos.

Deal Divas

A candid, sometimes serious, sometimes humorous podcast that aims to cover a wide range of negotiation-related topics, and our expert negotiators Annabel Shorter, Ann Allfrey and Siobhan Bermingham will provide listeners with practical strategies and inspiration.

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Once upon a deal...

STORIES ABOUT WORK, LIFE AND NEGOTIATION

Once Upon a Deal… is a collection of stories that reveal the principles of negotiation.

Articles

Lowballing in Negotiation: What Is It and How to Negotiate

The Scotwork Team 23rd April 2025

Lowballing is a common negotiation tactic that can catch both buyers and sellers off guard. Whether you are buying a house, negotiating a salary, or selling a service, understanding how lowballing works—and how to respond to it—can give you the up...

What Is a Negotiation Impasse, and How Do We Get Past It?

The Scotwork Team 23rd April 2025

In an ideal world, we should be able to walk into a negotiation and receive the answer that we want to hear. No arguments, no concessions, just the other party fully agreeing to what we have asked for. Sounds like a dream, right? Unfortunately, i...

Effective Strategies for Negotiation in India: 5 Tips for Negotiators

The Scotwork Team 26th February 2025

India has rapidly established itself as a top worldwide market. With a growing economy and major conglomerates establishing themselves on not just national but international levels, now is the perfect time to step into the world of business here....

Adjournments in Negotiation: What Are They and How to Use Them

The Scotwork Team 31st January 2025

Ever felt like calling a timeout in the middle of a negotiation? Sometimes, the smartest move isn't to push harder, but to step back. It might seem odd to halt the negotiation process when it feels like progress is being made. However, requesting...

Negotiating Skills Capability Survey - Then and Now

In 2016 we introduced our Negotiating Skills Capability Survey. It was designed to measure how well teams negotiate and to benchmark participants against what we consider global best practice. Eight years on, we have revisited the early data to see what, if anything, has changed in that time.

Controversial Tales of the Unexpected

Earlier this year we asked Scotwork alumni and blog readers to give their responses to some negotiating dilemmas which involve controversial situations. We were interested in the ‘on the hoof’ decisions with an ethical dimension which we all have to make from time to time during a negotiation.

Negotiating in Uncertain Times

Over the past months we have endured unprecedented disruption. This sequence of events has taken us from uncertainty to hyperuncertainty, a frozen state of mind that hinders normative behaviour. This eBook provides some strategic, tactical and skill-based ideas on how to negotiate more successfully in these hyperuncertain times.

Understanding Negotiation Power

Power is critical to any negotiation. Take control of the power balance and you are empowered to turn any negotiation to your advantage and secure the best deal. This e-book gives negotiators of all abilities essential insights into the nature and use of negotiating power.

5 Tips for Negotiation Preparation

Need help with preparation? Here are 5 easy tips on how to prepare for negotiations.

10 Negotiation Dilemmas

Who goes first? Do I ask for what I want? Here is the list of 10 most common dilemmas faced by the negotiator.

10 Tips for the Negotiator Who Wants Answers

Having problems getting the information you need from the other party? Here are 10 tips on how to ask questions in negotiation.

Negotiating via Email

While email is convenient and expedient, it’s fraught with peril for both skilled and unskilled negotiators alike. This eBook provides top tips on how to negotiate via email.

Telephone Negotiations

Top tips on how to handle phone negotiations

Top Tips & Hints for Negotiating Virtually

We are confined to thinking about how we adapt our current means of negotiating to a new environment, so let’s turn the whole thing inside out and think about how video conferencing platforms empower us to do things differently.

Keep Sharp - Negotiation Skill Tips

Our negotiation skill tips are a distillation of, often, complex analysis into simple, practical, usable language and techniques designed to be relevant in the real world. This eBook is collection of top 10 skill tips for successful negotiation.

The Dirty Tricks of Negotiation and How to Spot Them

Negotiation can be hazardous. There are dozens of underhand tactics out there designed to wrest control and push you from the negotiating table empty-handed. Hard to detect, these dirty tricks can be ruthlessly effective. They can catch you off-guard and force you to concede again and again. Identifying and side-stepping these threats will help you keep control and secure a better deal.

The Dirty Tricks of Negotiation and How to Spot Them 2

Every day Scotwork experts observe negotiation in action all over the world. Over 100,000 hours of deal-making analysis has exposed a minefield of sneaky tactics, ranging from the slightly questionable to the downright dirty. Dirty Tricks Volume 2 builds upon the popularity of Dirty Tricks Volume 1 and brings together 10 more of the most notorious negotiation tricks.