Business Negotiations

Maybe I’m missing something in the negotiations over Nick’s sale of the Bistro. I don’t see what the fuss is about with Leanne’s 11th hour offer. Actually, it is a 12th hour offer, as in too late. She made it after Nick had accepted Robert’s offer and they had made an appointment with a lawyer to draw up the sale papers. Therefore, too bad for her and too bad for Nick if he prefers her as a buyer. Robert’s offer was accepted without conditions, therefore it stands.

Even if Leanne’s offer was higher, for the full asking price, it shouldn’t invalidate the deal agreed upon by Nick and Robert. Nick had originally told Robert that he wanted to offer the Bistro first to Leanne. Robert asked for first refusal, presumably after Leanne. Nick agreed. Leanne did not make an offer, so Robert did. He offered 90% of Nick’s asking price. Nick asked for time to consider it and await other offers. None came, so Nick accepted Robert’s. He did not add any caveats, say, ‘unless Leanne makes an offer’, ‘unless I get the full asking price’. He simply said yes to Robert. That’s where we were when Leanne came in with her offer also of 90%. (Here’s where Leanne got the money.)

So now Robert is throwing up his hands because he can’t raise the money to up his bid. Tracy is scheming to get the extra 10% out of Carla. Nick is saying he needs time to consider the offers. Being identical, what is there to dither about? He would prefer to sell to Leanne, as he made clear at the beginning, but he already agreed to sell to Robert.

Credulity stretched

I have expected Robert to simply say ‘let’s see what the lawyer says.’ Well, I didn’t expect it as such, because I know that the storyline needs the tension between Tracy and Carla. But I don’t like having to stretch my credulity in order to watch another aspect of a storyline – its principal motivation – play out.

If Leanne’s offer had been for more money, if they got into a bidding war – it still wouldn’t seem legally credible but it might make it a bit easier to go along with. It makes me wonder how any of them have stayed in any business if they pay so much attention to personal feelings and so little to legalities.