Technique Library

Engineer the moment where the counterpart says "that's right" — the verbal signal that they feel fully understood.

Words carry 7% of meaning, tone 38%, body language 55% — so attend to delivery, not just content.

Pre-empt every negative thing the counterpart could say or think about you, out loud, before they raise it.

A scripted four-step concession plan: open at 65% of target, then move to 85%, 95%, and 100% with diminishing increments.

Set the first number — it disproportionately influences the entire range of the negotiation.

Establish credibility and expertise signals up front so the counterpart weights your statements more heavily.

Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement — your fallback, the floor of your willingness to deal.

Use loss aversion, anchoring, and framing to make your offer feel inevitable rather than negotiable.

A piece of unknown information that, once surfaced, changes the entire shape of the negotiation.

Place your target between your opening offer and theirs, so a "split the difference" lands on your number.

Combine separate issues into one package (or split a package into pieces) to change perceived value.

Open-ended "How" and "What" questions that invite the counterpart to solve your problem.

Get small, public agreements that the counterpart will feel pressure to remain consistent with as the asks grow.

Frame every concession as conditional — "If you can do X, I can do Y" — never give without receiving.

Create or reference time pressure to force a decision — real deadlines work; fake ones backfire.

Visible neediness — the desire to close the deal — is the largest source of bad outcomes. Eliminate it from your behaviour.

When you can't move on substance, "pay" the counterpart with acknowledgement, apology, or empathy.

Offer vague future value (more deals, referrals, expanded scope) instead of present concessions.

When emotions spike, mentally step back, observe the situation from above, and respond instead of reacting.

Two counterparts play opposing roles — one accommodating, one hostile — to extract concessions through contrast.

Move toward agreement in small steps rather than a single big leap — easier to commit to, harder to refuse.

Look beneath the stated position to find the underlying interest that's actually driving it.

Brainstorm multiple creative solutions before deciding on one — separate inventing from committing.

Name the emotion or dynamic you sense in the counterpart with phrases like "It seems like…" or "It sounds like…".

Slow, calm, downward-inflecting vocal tone used to de-escalate tension and project authority.

People prefer to say yes to those they like — and liking is built through similarity, compliments, and cooperation.

Claim that final approval requires someone else — slows decisions, takes pressure off you, and lets you walk things back.

Repeat the last 1–3 words your counterpart said to encourage them to keep talking and reveal more.

Anchor your decisions to a clear, written mission — not to the deal in front of you.

After agreement is reached, ask for one or two small additions — counterparts almost always concede to protect the deal.

Frame asks so the counterpart can say "no" — which feels safer to them than saying "yes".

Decide outcomes by reference to fair external standards, not by who has more leverage in the room.

Explicitly give the counterpart permission to refuse — paradoxically lowers their defences and makes a real yes more likely.

Frame the deal in language that maps directly onto how the counterpart already sees the world.

Prime the counterpart's frame of mind before the main ask — the moment before influences what they decide.

Give something of value first to create a felt obligation that increases the chance of a return concession.

Communicate that the offer or capacity is genuinely limited — by time, supply, or competing demand — to increase its perceived value.

Reduce decision risk by showing what similar parties have already chosen — "Others in your position have…".

After making a proposal, stop talking. The first to break silence usually concedes.

Demonstrate that you understand the counterpart's feelings and perspective — without conceding anything.

Pretend an issue is critically important to you when it isn't — then "concede" on it later for something you actually want.

A visible negative reaction to an offer — silence, a wince, a sigh — that signals the offer is unacceptable without saying it.

Slice a large request into many small ones — each looks reasonable in isolation, but the cumulative effect is significant.

Hold the counterpart to their own stated principles, policies, and prior public commitments.

Anchor your position on external benchmarks (market data, industry reports, expert opinion) rather than your own preference.

Frame the negotiation as something you're solving together, with shared identity — not as adversaries.

Credibly threaten — or actually execute — leaving the negotiation when terms move past your walkaway.