Prep-end step is also about how to end the negotiation short of agreement. It happens in straight sales, it happens in proposed multibillion-dollar corporate mergers. You have a budget for the negotiation, you have your mission and purpose, and this deal just isn’t going to happen. This finally becomes clear. You decide the time has come to retire. When this happens, I recommend the calm, quiet “Thanks but no thanks, maybe next time.” To my mind, this fadeaway is far more effective than burning bridges. I hate to see clients burn their bridges, no matter how ill-served they feel.
