The Top 5 Negotiation Failures from TV and Movies

On the 9th Day of Christmas, our negotiation tips will have you dancing! Here’s how procurement can take a leaf out of Hollywood’s book for negotiation tactics!

If your contract negotiations feel like they end in a shootout, perhaps you’re doing something wrong – watch five negotiation failures from TV and movies.

You can learn how NOT to negotiate from your favourite film and TV clips. Many on-screen negotiations are examples of bad faith: one side thinks they have an advantage, or is willing to push harder than the other side to win. Motivations are not always clear, and behind-the-scenes machinations can turn a simple transaction into a disaster. Hopefully, your negotiations don’t end in a gun battle or a double-cross.

There are plenty of books and resources on negotiation out there, but scenes from TV and films reveal some basic human truths. Of course, real-life negotiations don’t always go the way screenwriters think they do, but ideally, both sides walk away with most of what they want.

We present these clips in the spirit of professional development. However, we are not responsible for the time you spend on YouTube afterward.

1. Negotiate in good faith, but be ready for things to go wrong

Look at the Tunnel Trap scene from Ronin. The bad guys want to steal the buyers’ suitcase full of cash and keep the cache of weapons. Is killing and stealing from your customers a sustainable business strategy?

Ronin (1998)

Two sides engage in a gun battle, and one side wins: they get what they came for. But the victory comes at a price. Sure, winning is important,  but you may incur damage you don’t recognise in the thrill of the moment. Sean Bean’s character is ready to rush into a dangerous situation, while Robert DeNiro’s character is skeptical. He goes along with the bad plan and uses his experience to take precautions.

Instead of a shootout under a bridge in Paris, your negotiations will hopefully have a positive outcome: the proverbial ‘win-win’.

2. Know your bottom line

In Taken, Liam Neeson’s character only wants one thing: to get his daughter back. Sure, it’s more of a threat than a negotiation. He did offer the other party alternatives, but they rejected all the options aside from ‘get killed by Liam Neeson’.

Taken (2008)

Do you know your bottom line? What are you willing to fight for? Where are you willing to bend to, or compromise on, to ensure your big picture vision takes shape?

3. Look at the long term trajectory

Even if you aren’t a baseball fan, Moneyball is a fascinating study in negotiations and economic leverage. In this particular scene, Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane negotiates for player Ricardo Rincon with the general manager of another team.

Beane takes on some risk by promising that if he is not able to trade another player, he will pay for the trade himself, but will keep any profit if he sells the player for twice the amount the next season.

Moneyball (2011)

During the back and forth, Beane uses the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) strategy. It’s what you do when you can’t get everything you want: if we can’t agree on A, how about B? There’s always a way to get something from the negotiation, especially if you’re flexible about what you want. To be successful though, you have to be like Billy Beane and know exactly what the products or services are worth in the open market.

4. Don’t underestimate your opponent

This scene is not really a negotiation, but it does highlight how overconfidence and arrogance can lead you to make poor decisions. Just when you think you have the upper hand, the other side pulls out their secret weapon.

Ted Lasso, a US football coach imported to the UK to direct a soccer team, makes a bet with the team’s former owner (the ex-husband of the current owner) in a game of darts. The stakes don’t seem high, but the wager is full of meaning: if the ex-husband wins, he can pick the starting line-up for the last two games of the season; but if Ted wins, the ex-husband can’t go near the owner’s box, leaving the ex-wife in charge of the team.

Ted Lasso (2021)

His opponent is extremely arrogant and, to his own detriment, underestimates Ted Lasso. Ted, on the other hand, is curious and non-judgmental. Ted Lasso is available on the Apple+ streaming service.

5. Don’t fall into negotiation games

On 30 Rock, TV show writer Liz Lemon tries to agree on a new contract with her boss and best friend, Jack Donaghy, who has written books and given seminars on negotiations. You can tell when someone is following a negotiation strategy, e.g. ‘Getting to Yes’ or ‘Never Split the Difference’. Liz watches Jack’s ‘Negotiate to WIN’ video series to learn Jack’s secrets, and uses Jack’s tactics against him. 

30 Rock (2012)

Sure, there’s a process to negotiations. But be genuine. Don’t expect rhetorical tricks and high-pressure tactics to build the relationships your organisation desires. You may save a few dollars once in a while. But when crazy things happen (ahem, COVID-19) the suppliers you beat up will be the first ones to turn away when you need help.

Want more high-stakes negotiation hacks? Read this!