Negotiation glossary
What is Logrolling?
Published 8 October 2026 · 2 min read
Logrolling is trading concessions across two or more issues that the parties value differently: each side gives ground on what matters less to it and gains on what matters more. It is the basic mechanism of integrative negotiation and the reason both sides can do better than a split down the middle.
Logrolling means trading, not splitting. When two sides care about different things, each can give way on its low-priority issue and win on its high-priority one. The result is better for both than meeting in the middle on everything.
A worked example
A tenant and a landlord negotiate a lease renewal. The tenant cares most about the rent; the landlord cares most about the length of the lease, because two floors of the building are empty.
| Issue | Tenant's priority | Landlord's priority | Split-the-difference outcome | Logrolling outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent per sq ft | High | Medium | 29 (between 26 and 32) | 28 |
| Lease length | Low | High | 3 years | 5 years |
| Fit-out works | Medium | Low | Shared | Paid by landlord |
With logrolling, the tenant gets a lower rent and the works paid; the landlord gets five years of a secure tenant. Both are better off than with the compromise column.
How to logroll
- Put several issues on the table. With one issue, there is nothing to trade
- Rank your own issues and estimate theirs
- Ask why, not only what: their reasons reveal their priorities
- Propose trades with conditions: "If we go to five years, can we hold the rent at 28?"
- Package the result so that it reads as one deal, not a list of separate concessions
Common mistakes
- Negotiating issues one at a time. Each one becomes a tug of war and nothing is left to trade at the end
- Assuming they value what you value. The trade only exists because priorities differ
- Giving away the low-priority issue for free. Even what costs you little should buy something
Logrolling is the engine of integrative negotiation, and MESO is a structured way to apply it. The value creation skill in Negosim's analysis looks precisely for these trades: whether you opened other issues instead of conceding on the only one.
Related terms
- Integrative negotiation: Integrative negotiation is an approach where the parties look for agreements that make both better off, by putting several issues on the table and trading what is cheap for one against what is valuable for the other. It contrasts with distributive negotiation, where a single fixed amount is divided.
- MESO: MESO stands for Multiple Equivalent Simultaneous Offers: instead of one proposal, you present two or three complete packages at the same time, each worth the same to you. The other side's choice tells you what it values, and the deal moves forward on their preferred terms without you conceding.
- Concession: A concession is a movement away from your position toward the other side's, on price or on any other term. The two questions that decide whether it helps you are what you ask in return and how it is presented; a concession given for free teaches the other side that pushing works.