I’ve spent the majority of my career negotiating and training people to negotiate.

Here are some common mistakes.

The other guy is bound to agree with one, right?

The more choice you provide, the better.

But that’s not necessarily the case.

Instead, limit options to two or three.

Therefore, they over-think and believe they can find theperfectsolution.

People like easy, quick solutions.

Of course, they might be bluffing.

But people who bluff generally overcompensate.

They were just trying to intimidate me.

And it worked, until I noticed the pattern.

Rather it was the guy who was not confident and was actually hesitant who walked.

What you should fear is the quiet negotiator who isn’t concerned with how he appears.

But making your goals unclear probably won’t help.

If you are not clear about what you want, you are unlikely to get it.

State what you want and focus only on your intended goal and not on your ego.

Relay your position in a simple, straight-forward, and confident way.

You’d be surprised how many people respond.

All that work has to pay off eventually, right?

Most of my best deals were quick because they were simple.

They died because they were too complicated.

Generally, the more complicated a deal is, the less likely you are to close it.

Focus on deals that make sense, as time is your most valuable asset.

Do not spend time dwelling on the time and money you have already spent.

Opportunity costs are too high to continue beating a dead horse.

Keep these mistakes in mind and you’ll have the upper hand when you’re sparring over a negotiation.

“What should everyone know about negotiation?

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This answer has been edited for grammar and clarity.

Image adapted fromPan JJ(Shutterstock).

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