Oddly – at least I think it’s odd – I’m pretty good at negotiating.
I’m at my best when sitting across the table from someone and figuring out a price for my services. (I’m not so good when I’m alone at home and putting together an estimate.)
In one memorable one-on-one negotiation I just sat there without saying a word, while the other guy kept raising the fee.
Another time, when interviewing for a job as an employee, I totally dug in my heels and refused to budge an inch on the salary I was asking for. What was surprising about that interview was that I really, really needed the job…and if I didn’t get it, I would probably have had to wait months and months for a similar position to become available. And yes, I got the salary I asked for, even although it was a lot higher than the figure they had in mind.
How did I pull this off?