Identify your counterparts negotiating style. Once you know whether they are Accommodator, Assertive, or Analyst, youll know the correct way to approach them. Prepare, prepare, prepare. When the pressure is on, you dont rise to the occasion; you fall to your highest level of preparation. So design an ambitious but legitimate goal and then game out the labels, calibrated questions, and responses youll use to get there. That way, once youre at the bargaining table, you wont have to wing it. Get ready to take a punch. Kick-ass negotiators usually lead with an extreme anchor to knock you off your game. If youre not ready, youll flee to your maximum without a fight. So prepare your dodging tactics to avoid getting sucked into the compromise trap. Set boundaries, and learn to take a punch or punch back, without anger. The guy across the table is not the problem; the situation is. Prepare an Ackerman plan. Before you head into the weeds of bargaining, youll need a plan of extreme anchor, calibrated questions, and well-defined offers. Remember: 65, 85, 95, 100 percent. Decreasing raises and ending on nonround numbers will get your counterpart to believe that hes squeezing you for all youre worth when youre really getting to the number you want.

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss