It’s an offer-counteroffer method, at least on the surface. But it’s a very effective system for beating the usual lackluster bargaining dynamic, which has the predictable result of meeting in the middle.

It’s 4 steps:

1. Set your target price (your goal).
   
2. Set your first offer at 65% of your target price.
   
3. Calculate three raises of decreasing increments (to 85, 95 and 100 percent).
   
4. Use lots of empathy and different ways of saying “No” to get the other side to counter before you increase your offer.
   
5. When calculating the final amount, use precise, nonround numbers like, say, $37,893 rather than $38,000. It gives the number credibility and weight.
   
6. On your final number, throw a nonmonetary item (that they probably don’t want) to show you’re at your limit.

For more details on how and why it works, go to p.206

–Never split the difference, p.206