Know Your Goals and Your Limits
Forty smart preparation steps that decide most negotiations before you say a word.
Preparation is your quiet superpower. Great deals begin at your desk.
40 tips that really help
These ideas come from Chris Voss, Roger Fisher and William Ury, and other well-known negotiation books. The first six help most. Pick one and try it today.
Know what you want
A clear goal keeps you steady.
Write one clear goal for your next deal.
Know your walk-away point
Decide the limit before you start.
Write the lowest deal you would accept.
Find your best alternative
Fisher and Ury call this your BATNA, the best option if you do not agree.
Write your best alternative.
Research the other side
Learn their needs, pressures and deadlines.
Spend ten minutes researching them.
List what you can offer
You may have more to give than you think.
List five things you can give.
List what you need
Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves.
Rank your needs from one to five.
Guess their must-haves
What would they struggle to give up?
Write three guesses.
Set an ambitious opening
A fair high start leaves room to move.
Plan an opening that is bold but reasonable.
Plan your first sentences
A strong start sets the tone.
Write and say your opening aloud.
Prepare your questions
Questions guide the talk.
Prepare three questions.
Prepare for objections
Know what they may say.
List their likely objections.
Choose a calm place
Setting matters.
Pick a quiet room or time.
Plan the time
Know how long you have.
Set a time limit for the meeting.
Bring facts
Numbers and examples support your case.
Collect three facts.
Check your emotions
Anger hurts deals.
Name your feelings before you start.
Practise with a friend
Role-play reveals weak spots.
Rehearse for ten minutes.
Prepare your trades
Give something to get something.
Plan three trades.
Know the value of your offer
Be able to explain it simply.
Write your value in one sentence.
Know your price logic
Be clear why your price is fair.
Write two reasons for your price.
Know their alternatives
What else might they do?
List their options.
Check who decides
Make sure the right person is in the room.
Confirm decision makers before meeting.
Set a clear agenda
A shared plan prevents confusion.
Send a short agenda.
Decide what you will not discuss
Boundaries protect you.
List topics to avoid.
Plan concessions slowly
Smaller steps signal firmness.
Plan decreasing concessions.
Prepare to listen more
The best negotiators listen.
Set a goal to ask five questions.
Prepare a calm voice
Voss recommends a calm, slow tone.
Practise your tone.
Prepare to pause
Silence is a tool.
Plan to wait after your key ask.
Prepare a written summary
Writing confirms agreement.
Draft a summary template.
Prepare for a no
A no is not the end.
Plan your next step after a no.
Prepare for stalling
Decide how to respond.
Write a line for delays.
Prepare for pressure
Plan how to stay calm.
Practise a breathing routine.
Prepare for surprise
Expect the unexpected.
Plan a line for surprises.
Prepare your team
Make sure everyone agrees.
Hold a short alignment meeting.
Check your authority
Know what you can approve.
Confirm your limits with your manager.
Know the rules and the law
Stay within them.
Check one compliance rule.
Plan for the long term
Think about the relationship.
Write what you want after the deal.
Prepare an ethical stance
Decide what you will never do.
Write your own rule.
Review lessons from past deals
Learn from your history.
Review one past negotiation.
Prepare a one-page plan
A short plan is easy to use.
Write one page for your next deal.
Go in ready
Prepared negotiators feel calmer.
Complete your plan before the meeting.
Easy things to say
When you are stuck, pick one of these. They work in many sales conversations.
“Let me share what matters most to me.”
“What matters most to you?”
“If I can do this, could you do that?”
“Let me think about that.”
“So we agree on these points?”
“Thank you. I think this works for both of us.”
Your first week
One small action a day. Each day is only a little bigger than the last.
Write your goal for a deal
Write your walk-away point
List what they might want
List what you can give
Practise your opening
Plan three questions
Review one past deal
Further reading
- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)
- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)
- Start With No (Jim Camp)
The tips above are written in our own words and are general guidance. The books are suggestions for further reading.
More lessons in “Negotiate Without Fear”
Keep going. Small steps every day make a big change.
Next: Find Your Best Alternative →
- Know Your Goals and Your Limits
- Find Your Best Alternative
- Research Their Needs and Pressures
- List What You Can Give and What You Need
- Set Your Opening Position
- Plan Your First Three Sentences
- Decide Your Walk-Away Point
- What They Say vs What They Need
- Ask "Why Is That Important to You?"
- Look for Win-Win Trades
- Separate the Person From the Problem
- Create More Options Before You Decide
- Use Fair, Objective Standards
- The Pie Is Bigger Than You Think
- The Power of Calm
- Let Them Say "No" First
- Open-Ended "How" and "What" Questions
- Use "How Am I Supposed to Do That?"
- Mirror and Pause
- The Late-Night FM DJ Voice
- Let Them Talk Themselves Into It
- Never Give a Discount for Free
- Trade, Do Not Just Give
- Hold Your Price With Confidence
- Respond to "That Is Our Budget"
- Use Odd and Precise Numbers
- Bundle Instead of Cutting Price
- When to Walk Away
- Handle a Pushy Negotiator
- Respond to a Deadline Threat
- When They Say "Take It or Leave It"
- Deal With Silence and Stalling
- Stay Polite When You Are Angry
- Negotiate With Someone More Senior
- Summarise Every Agreement Out Loud
- Put It in Writing the Same Day
- Leave Both Sides Feeling Good
- Do Not Celebrate Too Soon
- Protect the Relationship After the Deal
- Learn From Every Negotiation
