The ”deal trap” describes the tendency to accept a deal that is inferior to your BATNA or the best alternative to a negotiated deal. Do you want to deepen your understanding of the dynamics of negotiation? Check out our eight-week online Negotiation Mastery course and learn how to develop the skills and techniques you need to effectively close deals and close deals. The nature of zopa depends on the nature of the audience. [3] In distributive (competitive) negotiations where participants try to share a ”firm cake”, it is more difficult to find solutions acceptable to both parties, as both parties want to claim as much of the cake as possible. Allocation negotiations on a single topic are usually zero sums – there is a winner and a loser.