10 Amazing Hacks How to Negotiate a Salary, Buy a Home, or Anything You Want

how to negotiate a salary

By learning how to negotiate a salary, I was able to increase my salary by 20% at my last job! It was an amazing accomplishment and I learned so many things about negotiations.

What was even more exciting was that I was able to apply my new negotiation skills to all areas of my life!

Make more money, save more money, get what you want in life by learning:

  • how to negotiate the price of a car… Save $5,000!
  • how to negotiate a job offer… Make more than your co-workers!
  • how to negotiate the price of a house… Save $25,000 or more!
  • how to negotiate a higher price when selling your car… Make $1,000 more!
  • how to negotiate a rent increase… Make or Save $75 a month!

The art of negotiation can help you in every area of your life. You can save yourself hundreds, if not thousands of dollars by negotiating every thing you buy or sell.

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Do not buy, sell, or do anything without negotiating

You need to negotiate the price and terms of products, services, contracts, etc. If you don’t negotiate, you’re actually leaving money on the table that should be in your pocket.

With one rental property I purchased, I got the seller to lower the purchase price down almost 20% off their asking price.

The price started at $180,000 and I got him to sell it to me for $151,000.

I have even negotiated with my renters to get them into longer lease terms and rent amount.

Negotiating anything is both an art and a science.

Just about anything in life can be negotiated. It all depends on the parties involved and how hard you are willing to push for the negotiation.

The main goal of any negotiation should be a win-win for all parties involved.

Obviously you would like to have the terms work out in your favor and there are ways to actually get that done.

Watch the How to Negotiate A Salary or Anything Video Here:

Art of Negotiating a Salary or Anything

When negotiating anything, you need to know who you are dealing with on the other end of the negotiation. You need to know their desires, their needs, their wants, and everything in between.

If you know the person, you can play the person. Just like in poker, you don't play the hand, you play the man.

That means that what you do in your negotiation is based on the person you are negotiating with. You adapt what you say to help that person agree to what you are negotiating with him about.

Science of Negotiating a Salary or Anything

There are only 4 main steps how to negotiate a salary or anything else for that matter. This is where the science comes into play.


 
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If you make sure follow the 4 steps in the negotiation process, you will have a much better chance of getting what you want.

There are four key principles to negotiating which will help you to understand ninja hacks and how to implement them.

Four Key Principles to any Negotiation 

1. Never Pay Asking Price
2. Seek to create a win-win scenario for all parties (As best you can)
3. Negotiating is all about give-and-take
4. Never give in without getting something in return

These four keys are not as common sense as you might think.

You need to have these in mind as you are going through the hacks and implemented them into your next negotiation.

Negotiation Definition 

The definition of negotiation is a where two or more parties discuss with one another to arrive at a mutual agreement for anything that the two parties have in common. It can be the sale of a car, the increase in salary for a job, or even an act of service between the two. 

The goal though for successful negotiations is to seek a win-win solution for both parties. This takes hard work to find a win-win but it is going make the negotiation process so much better.

How to Make Yourself Like Negotiating Everything

There many people who are nervous, shy, or even repelled by the thought of negotiating anything. Being an investor, you need to work your way through that and make yourself negotiate everything in your business.

Key Point 1: Think of Negotiations as A Chess Game

Consider making your negotiations a game. Something you must play and can actually win at.

If you make it a game, you may be able take yourself out of the way and actually negotiate as a negotiator. Your goal is to win just like a chess game.

View the other person as an opponent in chess by thinking 2 or 3 moves ahead.

Before you even get into the conversation for negotiating a salary, think of the reasons why the other person would not want to give you what you want.

Here are some negative reasons:

  • Not enough money to afford a raise in salary
  • The item is worth much more than you are offering
  • They do not want to sell

By thinking of a negotiation of anything as a chess game and thinking 3 steps ahead, you will pre-plan your BEST answer.

Then, after each answer, think of the next reason against your salary increase or purchase of an item.

Keep playing that through your head before you enter into and negotiate a salary or any negotiation you go into.

Key Point 2: Change Your Mindset In Negotiations

Most times, we are too close to the situation that we get emotional in the negotiation. Understandably so.

If you act as if you are negotiating for someone else, instead of yourself, you will care about what you are negotiating, but…

Not that much.

The reason why you don't want to care TOO much is because, when you care too much, you don't give a little.

In negotiation for salary, purchase a car, buy real estate, etc. it is all about give and take. You want to make sure the other person feels like they are getting something in return.

If you go into negotiating a salary as a take, take, take, you may end up not getting the raise. But, if you go into the negotiation thinking of what you can give your boss in return for a raise, you will probably fair better.

Here are some ideas of how you can give to help with negotiating a salary.

  • A little more responsibilities
  • A little more authority
  • A little more accountability
  • Tie in the raise to performance

By giving in just a little, you show that you are willing to make the other person have a little win.

When they have a little win, they feel like it would be good to give a little as well.

Listen to the Podcast Episode on How to Negotiate a Salary or Anything Else

You will not get emotionally attached and be able to have a larger perspective of the situation and negotiate better. 

Remember, seeking the Win-Win is the best way to go in negotiating.

10 Ninja Hacks to Negotiating a Salary or Anything At All

1. Know What You Want

Before you enter negotiations with another party, know exactly what you want in a best case scenario. Your ultimate goal is for you to benefit from the negotiation.

In order to do that, you need to start with the end in mind. If, for example, you are looking to buy a property, then you must know the highest price you would be willing to pay in advance.

This is your maximum set point

Plan out the highest price (maximum set point) you want to pay for the property and do not go any higher.

You need to start at a much lower position than your maximum set point in order to be successful in the negotiation process.

Let’s say the seller of a property is asking $200,000.  You need to know the highest price you can pay while still make money which would be $175,000.

Because negotiating is about give-and-take, you need to be able to have room to work towards the seller from your starting position.

If I know that I want to spend $175,000 the property, I would offer $140,000 to start so I can work my way up as the seller comes down from their price.

As the seller counters with a lower price, you counter with a higher price. They lower their asking price to $190,000, you increase your offer price to $155,000.

Then as the seller counters again, you counter again until you come to a mutual price that’s beneficial to both parties.


 
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2. Learn As Much As You Can about the Other Party

They say that “knowledge is power”, but it really should say “applied knowledge is power”.

The reason why is that you need to know, as best you can, all parties of the negotiating table with their interests, desires, needs, and wants.

With this in hand, you can map out beforehand the process you would like to take in the negotiating process.

Having as much information as possible about the other parties involved will help you to know how to implement the other hacks of negotiating.  You will be able to use this to your advantage in the negotiation process.

3. Know Who Has the Upper Hand

Before you enter into a negotiation, you need to know who has the upper hand. That means you need to know who has the most incentive to give up ground in the negotiating process.

It could be where you have the upper hand because the seller is in dire need to sell a property.

The seller may need the money from the sale of the house and be willing to take a much lower price for it.

It could also be that the other party has the upper hand because you desire what they are selling more than they desire to sell it.  If you see beforehand that you do not have the upper hand, refer to negotiating hack 7 and 8.

4. Don’t Be Afraid Ask

There are two things you need to remember: “You have not, because you ask not” and “a closed mouth never gets fed”.

If you don’t ask because you are afraid of being rejected and imagine the seller saying no, you are effectively putting words in their mouth.

If you don’t ask, you have already assumed they will say no.  You have your answer already.

The answer you have right now is NO because you not asked.

Here’s a quick tip for you to help the negotiation process started in a nonthreatening way.

Ask this question: “Are you flexible on the price?”

More often than not, this one question will start the negotiation process for you. Just by asking this question, sellers have dropped their asking price by 5% without me saying another word.

5. Shut Up!

This is probably one of the more important hacks you can employ when negotiating.

Nobody likes and uncomfortable silence in a conversation. You need to learn to love those uncomfortable silences in the negotiating process.

Each and every time you make a request in the negotiation process, make the request and then shut up.

It will be that uncomfortable silence that helps the other side want to give in because they feel they need to respond and remove the uncomfortable silence from the conversation.

The first person to give in, looses.

Here’s an example:

You: “How much are you asking for the property?”

Seller: “$200,000”

You: “Are you flexible on the price?”

Now don’t say another word!

It is said that the first person who talks after the proposition is presented, loses. So present your offer/counter offer and then DO NOT SAY ANOTHER WORD until they talk.

You can use this ninja hack EVERY time you make a request in the negotiation process.

6. Never Stop Negotiating until the Deals Done

Just like how you should not be afraid to ask in the beginning of the negotiation process, don’t be afraid to continually ask for more “ground”.

Again you have not because you asked not and unless you ask and they actually say no to you, you already have a “No” without even asking.

One time I actually got the seller of a property to come down in price four different times.

Each time I asked for more of a discount, the seller dropped the asking price and said they could not come down any lower.


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7. Be willing to walk away at any time (and show it!)

You need to be able to walk away from the deal at any given point. This does not necessarily need to be done from a position of strength.

You need to know the maximum amount of ground you are willing to give beforehand so that you do not go above and beyond that set point and make a mistake.

That is why ninja hack number one is at the top of the list.how to negotiate a salary

The negotiation process can be used for or against you. The whole process of negotiation creates buy-in from both parties.

Each has put in their time, effort, thoughts, emotion, and heart into the deal.

That is a lot invested into the negotiation process, and people do not want to feel like they’ve wasted all of that effort to have the deal go away.

This can be used for or against you. If you are not willing to walk away once you’ve reached your maximum amount, you need to be ready to walk away if the process goes above that.

If you get emotionally charged and go above your maximum, you have given up the upper hand.

Even if you’re not ready, or willing, to walk away you need to show that you can walk away at any time.

This forces the other party to reconsider the offer because they don't want to lose all they have invested into the negotiation process.

8. Think of Yourself As a Negotiator for Somebody Else

The goal in the negotiation process is to not get emotional or too wrapped up in the negotiation that you give too much away and go above your maximum set point.

Imagine that you are a paid negotiator for another company in your next deal. You are getting paid to do the negotiation whether it happens or not.

You want your client to be happy, but you have your guidelines (maximum set point) from your employer and you stick to it.

This attitude will show that you’re serious about the negotiation and at the same time willing to walk away from the process if you don’t get what your client wants.

This will help you to remove all the emotion out of the negotiation process and allow you to think more clearly.

You need to care about the deal, but not that much.

9. Be Patient

Again, think of yourself as a hourly employee negotiating something for your employer.

It doesn’t matter how long the process takes you because you get paid either way. This takes even more of your emotions out of the deal.

Just like how you need to shut up after you present your offer, you need to be patient to let the other person talk first.

Negotiations can be long or short in duration and you need to be ready for both.

The party in the negotiation process who is the most patient during this process will usually come out on top with the most gained from the negotiation.

10. Request a Last-Minute Discount/Price Drop

At the last minute, before you close the deal in the negotiation process, ask for one last change in the deal.

It could be something as subtle as saying “in order to get this deal done I really need you to come down $1000.”

It could also be very straightforward saying “the deal is off unless you lower the price $1000.”

In both scenarios, you’re asking for more of a discount but it is a difference in tone and directness.

Again, “You have not, because you ask not.

Conclusion How to Negotiate a Salary or Anything You Want

By using these negotiation hacks, you can dramatically increase the profitability of your business.

Remember the four key principles as well as the hacks for negotiating and you will be able to save and make lots of money that would normally be left on the table.

As for me, I personally negotiate everything.  It could be just by asking the simple question: “Are you flexible on the price?”

If you employ these ninja negotiating hacks into your next deal, you will fully succeed in getting the price lower and/or other perks in the deal.

Let me know how you do in your next negotiation. Leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear it!

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