The language you use in making your offers and concessions and the signal it sends can have a strong impact on whether your offers or concessions will be accepted. Here are some general tips:
- Be specific and detailed
- Explain your rationale and tie your offer to independent standards before introducing numbers
- Promote an air of increasing finality and rigidity
- Point out consequences (your leverage advantage)
- Put it in writing
- Avoid ranges
And be prepared to react to your counterpart’s response.