Increasing your odds

This is done by learning what NOT to do.

If you present a single proposal to a client, you only give them the option of accepting or rejecting.

But if you present them with two or three different variations on your proposal, suddenly you've doubled or tripled your odds of receiving some form of a "yes."

So, in negotiations, don't just ask if they'd like to sign the contract, ask if version A or version B, or version C, is preferable.