Your power in a negotiation will increase proportionately to the viability of your alternatives. Establish a team relationship with the other party as rapidly as possible to engender cooperation and set the stage for principled negotiation. Statements generate resistance, whereas questions generate answers and information that can lead to agreement. Sell the future. If your company is growing and prospects are bright, share that information.
Suppliers look for potential growth and long-term relationships to strengthen their own business.
Frame tentative options in terms that address the other party's interests and resolve issues that may present an obstacle to agreement. Cultivate the use of silence. Calculated silence can create the impression of a stalemate that the other side may feel impelled to break, usually by offering concessions. Thank the other party at the conclusion of a negotiation, even if an agreement isn't reached. Sometimes it's not about the deal you lose, but the next deal down the line.