Final offers usually meet with skepticism as to whether they are truly final. So how do you make your final offer come across as credible to the mediator and to opposing parties? First, taper your concessions, especially in the later phase of negotiations. This means each move you make should be smaller than your previous one, pointing clearly to where you are going. Second, one or two moves before your final offer tell the mediator – and instruct the mediator to tell opposing parties – that you have very little negotiating room left. Easing into your final offer in this way lends credibility when you finally present it.
Francis Carter
