Small businesses haggle all the time. It doesn’t matter if it’s getting a new account to pay or disputing over contracts, haggling is a part of your business. But a lot of entrepreneurs do not feel at ease when negotiating. It will make some nervous, for others, excited.

The first hack to a good negotiation is not to take it seriously. For seasoned negotiators, it’s a game, and when you understand that, the better.

It’s like a video game. And one thing I do know is that if you try harder than the next guy, the more focused you’ll become, the easier it is to do. So a simple hack is to heavily invest in you as much as possible, because that doesn’t happen a lot.

Here are some magic tricks to pull a white rabbit out of your hat:

Keep it innocent
Do you remember the time when you looked for a new car? The sales guy casually talked about life – are you married, divorced, children, what are you looking for, etc. But this simple chit chat is far from casual, those questions brings about some critical evidence from you, evidence that can be used against you later on. Remember, knowledge is power. If you know that the office space you’re looking for has been empty for a year, your position is greater than the landlords.

So keep it innocent, friendly. This will make you look interested and accommodating, which allows a natural negotiation flow, but it can dig up some important information.

Smokescreens
Think of something that you could care less about, but makes you act as if it’s really important. Then when push comes to shove, pretend to give it up. This should create benevolence, but it also helps you get what you really want since you’re willing leave something important.

Creativity
There are different paths that lead to the same destination. Maybe you can’t see it, but you probably spend time thinking about it a couple of days out of the week. You will think you have something special and you do, and you will save yourself by being creative.

Hope
Yeah, I know, we have hope for a successful result. And most of the time, that is true. Negotiations turn out pretty good when they are relaxing and everyone leaves the table with a smile. But not all the time. There will be times when you should try your hardest to get what you want or not a damn thing at all. Go ahead and take that win while risking a loss. You’ll live to fight another day.

And never forget the fundamentals:

Never make or take the first offer: If you’re forced to, make it seem ridiculous at first: “Man, I think I would let someone give me $10,000 for those 1,000,000 widgets. What do you think about it?”

Demand more than you need: You’ll probably negotiate either coming up or down. By starting farther away, you’ll end up closer to your final decision. It’s ironic, huh? Through the mirror and down the rabbit hole...