
92 SEVEN SECRETS FOR NEGOTIATING WITH GOVERNMENT
Deciding on Your Opening Move
Having found the right governmental units to negotiate with, you
then have to decide how to begin negotiations. The old admoni-
tion that ‘‘you never get a second chance to make a first impres-
sion’’ underscores the importance of first impressions in
interactions between persons. Just as first impressions in a job in-
terview may mean the difference between being hired and being
rejected, opening moves in a negotiation can influence the course
of the discussion either positively or negatively for a long time af-
terward. Opening moves may even be the difference between mak-
ing ...