Learning to haggle

Here are a few observations I've made recently regarding successful haggling or negotiating:

1. You must be happy to accept all outcomes.
If you try to avoid one particular outcome, this will be picked up by the other party and you will be on the back foot. But if you are truly happy to accept either outcome, then you have already won: either way, you will walk away happy. Essentially, the ball's in their court, but you have all the cards!

2. Offer something the other party needs.
If you walk into a negotiation with the wrong offer, you will be turned down immediately. In the marketplace, going to a bicycle dealer offering to part-exchange a car engine for a bike, it probably won't work... unless the person you speak to is in desperate need of a car engine. But offering them a decent frame or other bicycle parts might open the door. If a company is short-staffed, your services might prove valuable.

3. Start with an outageous offer.
If you walk into the negotiation with a 'sensible' offer, you will be talked away from it. This offer needs to be the 'meet in the middle' offer: the outcome of the negotiation, not the start. If you want to buy a car for £2000, and say that at the start, you could easily end up paying £2500. So start with £1000, 'meeting in the middle' with £2000 (or even less, if you get lucky). If you offer something the other pary needs, they will be happy to negotiate. A car dealer might have a target to reach, so you will be helping them. If it is your services on the table, and you know they are valuable, you can set the price! But if your services aren't needed, the negotiation will get shut down before it even begins.

4. The longer the other party ponders is important.
If the other party takes plenty of time to consider your offer, you are in a strong position: you have something of value. If they are quick to settle, effectively saying, "Take it or leave it," then you must also be quick to respond. You can either stick with your initial offer and walk away, or continue the negotiation. But if you take the time to consider their offer, then their position becomes stronger: they know that you want what they have.

The key is to not be in want of anything: be content.
But this is difficult in a society that tells you that you 'should have' or 'deserve' everything on offer!!
Essentially, the non-materialist has the upper hand.