When we are involved in a negotiation that involves prices, we need to  keep in mind that no matter what negotiation styles or negotiating  techniques  are being used, it’s the first number that either  side presets that will play an important determining factor in how the  rest of the negotiation goes. 

It turns out that opening offers  have a strong effect on price negotiations. What happens is that the  first offer typically serves as an anchor that strongly influences any  discussions that follows. Where things can start to get crazy is when  you realize that even random numbers can have a dramatic impact on  people’s judgments and decisions. 

What all of this means is that  negotiators need to know how to anchor prices during a negotiation.