Prepare yourself for the other person

When you know the guy you are sitting across the negotiating table, do research about that person. Knowing the the detail about the other person can help you better prepared in your negotiation and you can walk into a room with the comfort and knowledge about what you'll face.

The best case where you have to do research on someone's background is before a job interview. Maybe, you and an that person share a common past experience. When you show that you know a fact or two about the other person usually you could score points with the interviewer. In a negotiation, showing that you have prepared for the other person is also an important icebreaker before they get to the technical nitty-gritty. Besides these obvious benefits, knowledge of the other person let you know what you are against. Is this a reasonable person? Is he a bottom-line person person, or quality aspect is more important for him? Knowing what the other person's values allows you to highlight related aspects in your proposal. It is also important to determine the level of its authority. If the person having to obtain the approval of the people of several levels of the organization, it would be better to provide some written material of your proposal which can be reviewed by his superior.