Handling Concessions: "If... Then..."
A concession is when you "give in" on a point (like price or timeline). The golden rule of negotiation is: Never make a unilateral concession.
The "If... Then..." Framework
Every time you give something up, you must get something back.
- "If you can increase the seat count to 500, then I can drop the per-user price to $12."
- "If we move the launch date to Nov 1st, then we can include the 'Advanced Analytics' module in the MVP."
- "If you pay the full year upfront, then we can waive the setup fee."
Trading "Low-cost" for "High-value"
Look for things that are cheap for you to give but valuable for them to receive (and vice versa).
- For a Startup: Giving away "Beta Access" is low cost, but high value for a customer who wants to influence the roadmap.
- For a Big Company: Giving a "Logo Right" (permission to use their logo) is low cost, but high value for a startup's credibility.
Phrasing Concessions
- "I'm prepared to move on the price, provided that..."
- "We can meet you halfway on the timeline, if..."
- "That's a difficult ask, but we could consider it if..."
Alex's Tip: Don't give your biggest concession first. Start with small, "nibble" concessions to see how the other side reacts. Save your "Big Move" for the very end to close the deal.
Logos is logic and evidence. It answers why does this make sense?
- The migration saves 10 hours per week, which at $100/hour is $52,000 per year. The migration costs $20,000. Payback in under five months.
- Three of our top five churn risks trace to onboarding. Fixing onboarding targets the highest-impact lever.
Logos is the backbone for analytical audiences. Use data, structure, and clear reasoning. Executives lean heavily on logos.
Combining the three
The strongest persuasion braids all three:
We've done 30 migrations like this with zero data loss (ethos). Imagine your team freed from 10 hours of manual reconciliation every week (pathos). The numbers show payback in under five months, saving $52,000 a year (logos).
Notice the order: credibility (trust me), emotion (feel the pain), logic (prove it). This sequence, called ethos-pathos-logos, is a classic persuasive flow.
Weighting to the audience
| Audience | Lead with | | ----------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | | Data-driven executives | Logos (evidence), supported by ethos | | Relationship-focused partners | Ethos (trust), supported by pathos | | Mass or consumer audience | Pathos (story), supported by logos | | Skeptical technical audience | Logos (data), then ethos (credentials) |
Read your audience and adjust. The same proposal can succeed or fail based on which mode you lead with.
Common mistakes
- All logos, no pathos. Pure logic rarely moves people; they need to feel the stakes.
- No ethos. Without trust, even perfect logic fails.
- Manipulative pathos. Emotion used dishonestly destroys trust when exposed.
Practice
Take a proposal you are making. Write one sentence for each mode:
- Ethos (why trust you): _
- Pathos (why care): _
- Logos (why it makes sense): _
Example: We've led five similar launches (ethos). Imagine the relief of hitting your launch date with no weekend fire-drills (pathos). Our plan cuts risk by 60% based on past data (logos).
In the final lesson, you will learn to close a negotiation and seal the deal.