When money is on the table, emotion gets louder. So bargaining is less about math than about psychology.
Decide your target and limits before you speak, then open with an anchor that shifts the range. Move in controlled steps, refusing to “meet in the middle” just to stop discomfort. Pair each offer with empathy and “how/what” questions that make the other side explain their number and confront your constraints.
Precision signals thought. Rounded numbers can feel like guesses; specific numbers feel deliberate. And when price won’t move, trade on terms—timing, scope, risk, non-cash items—so value shifts without surrendering.
Bargaining hard isn’t being harsh. It’s being prepared and patient.
After price comes the final edge: uncovering what you didn’t know was in the room.