Duane Gran

I’ve seen this described the other way around, which is to say that a savvy purchaser is willing to flinch early in the negotiations. Most people are nervous about pricing and some will fold rapidly if they sense that the other person reacts viscerally to the first offer.

I guess I would offer up the caveat that “flinch pricing” may work, but you better be adept at reading if the buyer is already a good negotiator. Otherwise, they will gain the upper hand easily.

Chas

This is also why I’m generally firm on my pricing. Sure, I’ll negotiate – but only if I think it’s worth it to me. Most of the time, I move negotiations away from my rate and more toward the deliverables. When the rate is static, the customer is forced to choose between paying up or losing features.

Mike

This sounds similar to what happened when I told my current boss how much I made at my last job. She flinched and said “There is no way I can pay you that much, my full time people with two masters don’t get paid that well” and I said thats why I told you I wasn’t expecting that and didn’t want to tell you how much I made before! It was helpful in getting me a few dollars extra an hour though.