Negotiation Ammunition

By Marty Nemko

Negotiation books talk about win-win, but fact is, most negotiations have a winner and a loser. And usually, the party with the best ammunition wins. Ammunition includes: upgrading your job description so the boss can justify paying more, showing that similar employees earn big salaries, calculating the big bucks your efforts will generate for the employer, and building good feelings between you and the boss to maximize her inclination to be generous. Probably the highest-caliber ammunition is to generate a competing job offer. In sum, remember that most negotiations are won and lost before you ever get to the table.