b"Chapter 9 If you're wondering if you should make the offer first or let the other partygofirst,agoodruleofthumbisthatthepartywiththemost information to put in, should go first.However, it is necessary to evaluate before starting. If this is you, should your request be realistic, or should you ask for a lot more than expected and meet in the middle?Remember that your point of reference can damage the relationship you have carefully established, generate hostility, or force your counterpart to drift away.On the other hand, you will have to consider thefact that there are negotiations where the other party asked for much less than they could have had, which becomes a costly mistake for you, if you offer first.However, if you are presented with anunrealisticpoint of reference, it is best to communicate that it is a failure and ensure that both parties realign their strategy before making another offer.6.Toughguysdon'twin:agoodnegotiationcreatesanagreementin which both parties feel good. A win-win negotiation above all, does not consist in winning only for oneself. Theadvantagesofawin-winattitudeduringagreementsmakeit possible to carry out the post-agreement successfully. More importantly, your reputation will be much better if you trade fairly and with respect.7.Listen: the key to a successful negotiation is to fullyunderstand the other party wants, needs and motivations. You can only achieve this by listening and learning from what they tell you. The adage that 2/3 should be devoted to listening and the other 1/3 to speaking is good to follow.8.Find out what really matters to the other party: finding out the other party's motivation can allow you to retain the advantage for the latter part of the negotiation. For example, as a seller, you offer a free warranty. This is probably a marginal cost to you here, but it can give your customer peace of mind when things go wrong.292Germain Decelles"