Reciprocity

When planning negotiation strategy, keep in mind the reciprocation you expect from the other side. It is well known that courteous behaviour is more likely to be met with courtesy, angry behaviour with anger or stubbornness.

When it comes to the all-important numbers, test your proposed offer by considering the likely reciprocal offer this might generate. And if the other side comes up with what you think is a ridiculously low/high offer, the best default is "always make a bid", however modest a movement, to avoid the response: "we're not going to bid against ourselves", which will only serve to stultify negotiations.