What Trump Tariffs Negotiation Practice Taught Us
Last night, The Negotiation Club hosted what can only be described as one of our most insightful and powerful practice sessions to date. Built around a realistic and pressing case study on the impact of the so-called “Trump Tariffs” on global apple supply chains, we brought together negotiation professionals and enthusiasts from across the globe—including Canada, the USA, Italy, the UK, Ukraine and Slovakia.
This was not just a practice session. It was a real-time simulation of geopolitical tension, commercial urgency and supplier-buyer complexity, played out by people who understood that practice reveals what theory hides.
The Case Study: Apples, Tariffs and Global Pressure
The session was based on a multinational US-based food corporation (NorthBridge Foods Inc.) navigating the procurement of apples across a fractured supply chain. Tariffs had made international sourcing more expensive, but ironically had also inflated local prices due to rising domestic demand and capacity shortfalls.
In short:
- Imports are more expensive, but exporters aren’t making more.
- Local suppliers are in demand, but can’t meet national needs.
- And buyers are stuck, needing to negotiate value in a volatile environment.
It was the perfect storm for negotiation.
Two Negotiation Teams, One Scenario, Endless Lessons
We formed two mixed teams—each representing one side of the negotiation. What made this unique was not just the diversity of backgrounds and locations, but the integration of experience levels. One team included long-standing members of The Negotiation Club who had honed their approach using the TNC method and tools, including the live Google Sheet designed to support role clarity, variable tracking and proposal management.
Their preparation was sharp.
Their communication was constant.
Their coordination was clearly practised.
The other team may not have had the same structural tools in place, but what they gained from the experience was, in many ways, even more valuable:
- They witnessed in real time how clarity of roles leads to clarity of proposals.
- They discovered the true value of observer roles, live note capture, and collaborative messaging during Zoom negotiations.
- And they experienced the unpredictability that only live practice can deliver.
Try a FREE NEGOTIATION TASTER to practice your skills!
Negotiation Theory vs Reality: The Danger of Assumption
If there’s one takeaway I’d share from last night, it’s this:
“We think we know what we’re going to say. We think we know how the negotiation will go. But until we actually practice, it’s just fantasy.”
Negotiation theory is a useful guide. But without practice, it’s a rehearsal for a play that changes the moment it starts. The confidence that comes from preparation only manifests under pressure when you’ve felt the timing, misread a signal, or stumbled over your own words—and learned from it.
"Practice is not about getting it right the first time. It’s about getting better each time."
Facilitation Insights: Who Really Pays the Tariff?
As facilitator, I took a back seat during the negotiation itself but observed some fascinating (and critical) misunderstandings around tariffs:
- Who pays the tariff?
- When is it paid?
- Is it really the exporter profiting—or is it just a cost absorbed by the buyer?
- What secondary effects do tariffs have on domestic pricing and alternative supply routes?
These are not theoretical questions. They are commercial realities and they become clear only through negotiation pressure and discussion. It’s easy to gloss over these in textbooks or case studies—much harder when someone across the screen is pushing you for clarity and asking the open questions you didn’t anticipate.
Advice for Businesses Serious About Negotiation
If you are serious about preparing your team or your business for real-world negotiation challenges, then consider this:
1. Theory Alone Is Not Enough
Reading a book on negotiation is like reading about swimming. You might understand the strokes, but it won’t keep you afloat.
2. Practise in Conditions That Reflect Reality
If your team negotiates via Zoom or Teams, then your practice must include virtual tools, shared documents and role clarity. Test your tools as well as your negotiation tactics and techniques.
3. Role Clarity Changes Everything
Spokesperson, observer, data manager, rapport builder—when people know their job, teams perform better. Assign roles even in practice.
4. Track and Share Movement
Negotiation is dynamic. Without a shared method of tracking offers, changes and trade-offs, things get lost. A simple shared spreadsheet, when practised, can become your most powerful tool.
5. Don’t Assume – Test It
Your assumptions about the other party’s goals, limitations, or values must be tested—not imagined. And the only way to do that is by actually engaging.
Try a FREE NEGOTIATION TASTER to practice your skills!
What’s Next for The Negotiation Club?
Due to the overwhelming success of this session, we’ll be running this case study again—possibly with more complexity, changing variables, or swapped roles. It’s clear that the topic is both timely and rich with learning opportunity.
We’ll also continue to explore:
- Geo-political negotiation scenarios
- Supply chain crisis simulations
- Team-based and individual negotiation challenges
And all of them will stay true to our core belief:
Negotiation is a human skill—and it must be practised.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “I’ve never actually practised a negotiation with my team”—then now is the time.
You don’t need to know everything. You need to start practising.
And if you’re a leader, remember: confidence at the table doesn’t come from PowerPoint—it comes from experience.
Join us.....Practice with us....Learn the real skill of negotiation and not just the theory.
