# Anchoring, psychologically There is a concept called anchoring in psychology which persuasion professionals like negotiators, salespeople and other compliance seekers use to give themselves an edge. Basically, it means making the first suggestion in a negotiation to set the stage for what is reasonable for the rest of the negotiation. For example, if you're applying for a new position, and the hirer asks you what compensation you'd like, your answer will set the tone for the rest of the negotiation. If you say 100k, you're anchoring around that figure and the hiring manager is likely to, if they have the flexibility, stay around that number or at least be influenced by it. If they were going to offer 60k, but they know their highest was 80k, and they were going to try to wiggle to 70k, maybe they now start at 70k so it's not as uncomfortable for them because you said 100k. Essentially, it creates a psychological sandbox for you all to play in moving forward. This gives you a lot of power, especially when you're able to say it first and set the anchor on your terms. Of course, it's worth noting you will have more success with this if you do your research beforehand. Understand what the other side is likely to offer and what the upper limits of their comfort zone is. If you go too high they'll probably think you're out of touch and crazy. My rule of thumb is to push the other party right to the upper edge of their comfort zone where I'm not damaging the relationship at all, and they know I have enough self respect to ask for what I want and bargain hard for it. I don't want to squeeze them for every last ounce though, because I want to develop and sustain a good working relationship. Anchoring is important because it sets the stage for the rest of the relationship with the other party. Make sure you do it with intention, and you'll unlock a whole new level of personal power.