the.com/zopa
the last price both sides can live with, hiding in plain sight during every negotiation.
means zopa, or zone of possible agreement, is the overlap between what a buyer will pay at most and a seller will accept at least.
from coined by harvard negotiation researchers roger fisher, william ury, and bruce patton in their 1981 book getting to yes, part of the same toolkit that gave us batna.
no overlapmeans no deal is mathematically possible, period.
hidden by defaultboth sides usually hide their real limits.
bigger than priceapplies to salary, deadlines, custody, treaties.
for instance
salary negotiations — employer max and candidate min overlap, hr rarely reveals it.
used car sales — dealer floor price versus buyer ceiling, haggled in real time.
labor union talks — strike threats exist to shrink the gap toward agreement.
international trade deals — tariff ranges both nations can politically survive accepting.