How To Negotiate - Get Another Option

If you’re buying a car, or hiring a vendor, or doing any negotiating at all, get another option. When you only have one option, you aren’t negotiating. You’re just hoping. But when you have two or more options, you aren’t tied to the negotiation going your way. If it doesn’t, you can move on to your other option. 

When you only have one option, you’re just hoping that the other party will agree to your terms. You’re also hoping that your terms aren’t off base. Having another option gives you context to know whether your offer is in a reasonable zone or not. 

The funny thing is, when you have another option, negotiating for your first choice gets a lot easier. If the negotiation isn’t going your way, you can say “no,” with a completely straight face. Of course, you could try to bluff as though you do have another option, but unless you’ve spent a lot of time playing poker, you’ll probably get found out. Bluffing without a backup might be necessary in a pinch, but if you do it enough times you’ll end up losing more than you’d like. 

Set yourself up for success in your next negotiation. Get another option.