Good morning and welcome to The Closer, the newsletter all about deals. Today’s edition is short and sharp — one tactic, backed by research, to help you negotiate smarter. No headlines, no noise — just a Nugget you can deploy by lunchtime.
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INFORMATION
EXCHANGE
TIMING
Closer Tactic #52 • Deal Psychology
Most people share priorities whenever.
Winners know there's a hidden deadline.
The Nugget
If you haven't openly shared priority information by the negotiation midpoint, you'll achieve significantly lower joint gains.
When Disney acquired Marvel in 2009, both sides shared their real priorities early: Disney needed content for multiple platforms, Marvel needed distribution and financing. This early information exchange revealed that Disney's "throwaway" theme park rights were actually Marvel's secret priority, enabling a creative deal structure that satisfied both parties for $4 billion.
How to Deploy
• Share your real priorities (not positions) in the first half of the negotiation
• Ask directly: What matters most to you in this deal?
• Trade priority information, don't just give it away
Avoid waiting until the end to reveal what you really care about. The value creation window will have closed.
Takeaway
There's a hidden deadline for creating value—and most people miss it.
Reply with a deal where timing your information sharing made the difference—
we might feature you (and send a mug).