Although I have a very keen eye for spotting a fair amount of negotiation tactics, I find negotiation, in most circumstances, to simply be a hindrance to the normal flow of business. For a moment, tally up the opportunity cost that you have seen wasted by others who want to negotiate arbitrary, meaningless things like the cost of pens at Staples. You would probably have a good chunk of change if you summed up all that wasted time and energy. Among many professionals, salary negotiation is a topic of inflated importance and is often written about in a very reckless, inaccurate manner by people who are off base to an extent that piques a tremendous amount of curiosity for me, both personally and as a sales recruiter. It took me years to come up with these salary negotiation "rules" I recommend most job seekers follow.
