If ever there was a fundamental question in negotiation, it would  probably not be which negotiation styles or negotiating techniques to  use, but rather it would have to be the classic “should I make the first offer or wait for the other side to make the first offer”  question. 

For the longest time, the thinking went that we should sit  back and allow the other side to make the first offer. The reason for  this was so that we could learn valuable information based on what they  asked for. However, negotiating research has shown that the cost of  waiting for the other side to make an offer far outweighs the benefits  of us making the first offer. 

Looks like we’ve got some research to do…