Coaching mode · Learning library
Negotiation Intelligence Library
The 20 core concepts of the Unilever 8-Step Negotiation Method. Each card teaches the principle, shows a procurement example, contrasts weak / good / better buyer responses, and links to the stages and tactics where you practise it.
#1
Grounded Preparation
Fact vs Assumption
Separate what you have confirmed from what you are inferring, guessing or hoping is true.
Why it matters
Suppliers exploit assumptions you didn't realise you were making. A clean fact base survives challenge; a contaminated one collapses under pressure.
When to use
Every case intake, every prep cycle, every time new information arrives mid-negotiation.
When not to use
Never skip it. If facts are thin, the answer is to label unknowns, not to invent confidence.
Procurement example
You believe the supplier has 30% spare capacity. Source: a comment from a sales rep nine months ago. That is an assumption, not a fact.
Weak / Good / Better
Weak
"We know they have capacity, so they will move on price."
Good
"We believe they have capacity but we have not confirmed it. Treat as an assumption to test in the meeting."
Better
"Assumption: spare capacity 20–30%. Source: informal Q1 comment. Test: ask for current lead-time trend and shift pattern in the opening."
Try it now
Classify each item in your case brief as fact, assumption, unknown, confidential, hypothesis, risk, or tradeable variable.
Scoring criteria
- All facts have a source
- Assumptions are labelled, not stated as facts
- Unknowns are flagged with a plan to clarify
- Confidential limits are not exposed
Linked tactics
unsupported-claim
data-challenge