Anchoring and Adjustment: Set the first number or live with theirs
In commercial strategy work, negotiations often stall or skew once procurement drops a “budget number.” If you haven’t framed value and put a credible figure on the table, that first number becomes the reference point that pulls everything down—scope, timing, extras.
This is Anchoring and Adjustment: people rely heavily on the first salient number and only move part-way off it. Two useful nuances: the precision effect (specific anchors like 187,500 feel more researched and win more favorable counteroffers than round ones) and contrast framing (showing a higher reference option makes your target look reasonable by comparison).
Here's an example in a consumer space many are familiar:
Data has shown that homes listed at precise prices attract higher final offers than similar homes with round asks; buyers infer the seller “knows something,” and adjust less.
In B2B, enterprise software sellers routinely publish a high “list” and an even higher premium tier; the visible ladder reframes the mid package as sensible rather than expensive—anchoring the negotiation before discounts ever start. (Movie goers, fast food French Fry coneseuires, doesn't this sound familiar?)
Here's how you can use it:
Lead with a value-tied, precise anchor and a one-line calc that makes it feel earned (“187,500 = 0.7% of the revenue lift modeled on last year’s run rate”). Offer MESO packages (Multiple Equivalent Simultaneous Offers)—three simultaneous options that trade money for levers clients care about (speed, scope, price). For consultants, they might package services as “Sprint (fast/lean), Standard (balanced), Enterprise (full IP & enablement)” to anchor value and control trade‑offs.
And always label a reference option above your target to set contrast, then make every concession a give-get (“We can move 10k if we remove the in-quarter test-and-learn sprint”). Finally, close by restating the anchor and the trade-offs in plain English so the reference point that lingers is yours, not theirs.
The TLDR version: Stop negotiating one deal—negotiate three at once.
