chapters (6)
Know Your Number and Your Walk-Away
The moment. You're about to negotiate something and you haven't decided what you actually want - or what you'd walk away at.
What most people do
Go in vague, react to their numbers in the moment, and end up wherever the other side steers them.
Why it misfires. Without your own number and a walk-away point, you have no anchor - so you drift to their target. Deciding in the heat of it is how people overpay or fold.
The rewrite
Before you start: "My target is $X. My walk-away is $Y. My backup if this falls through is Z."
The move: decide before you start. Know your target, your walk-away, and your alternative (your BATNA) in advance. That trio is your backbone - it keeps you steady when the pressure's on.
Your turn
For something you need to negotiate, write your target, your walk-away, and your backup.
Edge cases. Research the going rate first - a number grounded in the market is far more defensible than one you hoped for.
This week
Before your next negotiation, write down your number and your walk-away.