From Chris Voss’ “Never Split the Difference”
Use the Ackerman Bargaining Technique. (p. 206)
- Set your Target Price
- Set your first offer at 65 Percent of your target price
- Calculate three raises of decreasing increments (85, 95, 100)
- Use lots of empathy and different ways of saying “No” to get the other side to counter before you increase your offer.
- When calculating the final amount, use precise, nonround numbers like, say, $37,893 rather than $38,000. It gives the number credibility and weight.
- On your final number, throw in a nonmonetary item (that they probably don’t want) to show you’re at your limit. The genius of this system is that it incorporates the psychological tactics we’ve discussed—reciprocity, extreme anchors, loss aversion, and so on—without you needing to think about them.”