Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It

ACCOMMODATOR
The most important thing to this type of negotiator is the
time spent building the relationship. Accommodators think
as long as there is a free-flowing continuous exchange of
information time is being well spent. As long as they’re
communicating, they’re happy. Their goal is to be on great
terms with their counterpart. They love the win-win.
Of the three types, they are most likely to build great
rapport without actually accomplishing anything.
Accommodators want to remain friends with their
counterpart even if they can’t reach an agreement. They are

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very easy to talk to, extremely friendly, and have pleasant
voices. They will yield a concession to appease or acquiesce
and hope the other side reciprocates.
If your counterparts are sociable, peace-seeking,
optimistic, distractible, and poor time managers, they’re
probably Accommodators.
If they’re your counterpart, be sociable and friendly.
Listen to them talk about their ideas and use calibrated
questions focused specifically on implementation to nudge
them along and find ways to translate their talk into action.
Due to their tendency to be the first to activate the
reciprocity cycle, they may have agreed to give you
something they can’t actually deliver.
Their approach to preparation can be lacking as they are
much more focused on the person behind the table. They
want to get to know you. They have a tremendous passion
for the spirit of negotiation and what it takes not only to
manage emotions but also to satisfy them.
While it is very easy to disagree with an Accommodator,
because they want nothing more that to hear what you have
to say, uncovering their objections can be difficult. They
will have identified potential problem areas beforehand and
will leave those areas unaddressed out of fear of the conflict
they may cause.
If you have identified yourself as an Accommodator,
stick to your ability to be very likable, but do not sacrifice
your objections. Not only do the other two types need to
hear your point of view; if you are dealing with another

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Accommodator they will welcome it. Also be conscious of
excess chitchat: the other two types have no use for it, and if
you’re sitting across the table from someone like yourself
you will be prone to interactions where nothing gets done.