Now it’s time to assess the best deal you might get. Figuring out the other party’s reservation price is the key to knowing how far you will be able to push him, write Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman in their book Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond (Bantam, 2007).

Start by considering the other party’s BATNA: What will he do if he can’t close the sale with you?

Like most retailers, he’ll simply have to wait for someone else to walk through the door.