The Five Rules of Negotiating

1. Always ask - you never know what you might get.
 
2. Know what you want - it is difficult to have a successful negotiation if you don't know what you want. It's also important to know what is totally unacceptable, and would be a deal breaker. Sometimes it's better to go with the status quo, rather than to accept a lesser deal.
 
3. Prepare for the kind of negotiating you will be engaged in. There are five types of negotiations: impromptu, informal, formal, one-of-a-kind and ongoing relationship.  It's this last kind that requires the most preparation and care. These are the negotiations that take place with your spouse or your manager, and they deal not only with tactical issues, but also longer term strategic ones. This kind of negotiation is more cooperative, and has a greater atmosphere of trust and concern for the ongoing relationship as well as possible solutions.
 
4. Understand cultural differences. In may places outside the United States, the marked price is not the one that people expect to pay. There is an expectation that there will be haggling. And it turns out that these days, you can go to a store like Home Depot in the United States and ask for a lower price. 
 
5. Practice, practice, practice. This means ask for things everywhere in your life. If the person you're asking can't give you what you want, find out who can. As kids, we learned to ask Mom or Dad for what we wanted until they gave in. Don't accept the first "no", and remain committed to win-win.  Look for ways to reach a mutual agreement on solving a common problem.

Adapted from: 5 Rules of Effective Negotiating, www.globalknowledge.com