You First
An opening move may make or break a deal--so step lightly.
If you can't open your negotiation the right way, you'll
have trouble closing it. Here are two opening moves you
shouldn't forget:
1. Put on your game face. When you open, it's about
attitude. He who appears to want the least gets the most. At
the beginning, one of the biggest mistakes is to seem too eager or
desperate. Instead, try to appear hesitant, indecisive or bored.
This will lower your opponent's expectations and force him or
her to consider concessions he or she was hoping to avoid. This
reverse psychology will bring the other side closer to the deal you
want.
2. After you . . . "He who mentions the first number
loses" is one of the all-time great negotiating maxims. If
you're the one putting the first number into play, you'll
never know if you've made your best deal. The buyer might have
offered more, and the seller might have taken less. Instead, listen
for their first figures.
Content Continues Below
What's the exception to this rule? If both sides really know
what a deal is worth, the side making the first offer gains the
upper hand by defining the negotiating range.
A speaker and attorney in Los Angeles, Marc Diener is author
of Deal Power.