Negotiation is one of those things people actively avoid. They fear confrontation so they plow through them as quickly as possible, accepting the worst possible deals to just get it over with. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Simply by understanding the tactics actual professional negotiators use, you can enter a negotiation with a little more confidence and get a better deal.

Know your best alternative

The “best alternative to a negotiated agreement”, or BATNA is a term coined by Roger Fisher and William Ury in their 1981 bestseller, “Getting to Yes: Negotiating Without Giving In.” Quite simply, it’s the best option that you can accept if negotiation breaks down. You can’t enter a negotiation without knowing what you want out of it, otherwise it’ll go on forever. The BATNA helps you to quickly decide when to walk away: 1) If you feel you’re not going to ......