There are always formal negotiations and informal ones. The formal ones take place in a well attended confrence room and will cover every bullet, point and paragraph. Then Ultimately, some senior executive will be flown in for a signing ceremony, handshakes, and photo shoot. But; always, during the negotiation there will be some impass; and, most of those will be solved by a handful of deal makers at a strip bar. It is an almost ideal location to exchange key information without the connotation of impropriety. Usually, it was about getting the bottom line on the buyer's project budget, and identifying the key opposition and finding the means to buy their support. The currency used was to come to an off record gentlemen's agreement on a career advancing result.
e.g. if the Director of customer support had issues with our turn around window, we might agree off record to provide him with a generous supply of spares in exchange for his support. Sure enough 6 months into the project there may arise a problem with support and this manager will raise quite an alarm. Angry emails would be exchanged, lawyers would be dragged in, and negotiations would run on for weeks. But, at the end of the show we would give him what we had agreed to, and he would add that well publicized and outstanding accomplishment to his resume.
It always helps to get your friends promoted. At the very least the guy has learned the value of your word.
n2s
