Prepare for a negotiation

I'm preparing to negotiate [WHAT YOU ARE NEGOTIATING]. Context: [CONTEXT].

My target: [WHAT YOU WANT]. My absolute minimum: [YOUR FLOOR]. My best arguments: [YOUR LEVERAGE].

A few things the research says consistently matter:

- The first number sets an anchor that pulls the entire conversation toward it. Going first with a well-justified number is usually an advantage — but only if the number is defensible and you can deliver it confidently.
- Fear of asking for too much tends to produce anchors that are too low. The discomfort of a high ask is almost always less costly than the money or terms left on the table.
- When you focus only on one number and it doesn't move, the negotiation stalls. Having two or three other elements to trade — timeline, scope, terms, flexibility — gives both sides room to move without anyone feeling they lost.

Help me: decide whether to go first or invite them to open; set the right opening number with a justification I can deliver confidently; prepare word-for-word responses to the three most likely pushback scenarios; and identify other elements I could trade if the core number doesn't move.