Know exactly what you want when you sit down to negotiate (what you want and what you are willing to let go)
Eliminate disadvantages:
Don’t back yourself into a corner (starting negotiating too late, be direct – don’t let the other side decide what you want, if you are not negotiating with the decision maker send someone on your behalf, don’t be shy – never be embarrassed to negotiate)
It’s always good to ask for a better deal
Listen, and quite often the other side will tell you everything you need to know to win
Behavior and attitude during negotiation is important – keep it cool, don’t get angry, keep the conversation from becoming adversarial, don’t make a threat unless you’re ready to follow through, don’t back away from what’s important to you – creates negative feelings later on)
Be prepared to walk away – it’s always better to move on than risk a bad deal
Never fall in love with a deal
Quantify the worst possible outcome and prepare yourself to accept it in the event it happens (when you do that you don’t keep thinking about it and focus on positive things)