Make time your ally and set the deadline.

By revealing your cutoff, you reduce the risk of reaching an impasse with the other party. When your opponent knows your deadline, they are prone to get to the real deal and concession-making more quickly. Don’t be afraid of deadlines because they are hardly ever ironclad. Remember, when negotiation is over for one side, it’s over for the other side, too. Hiding your deadline from your counterpart pushes you to speed up your concessions, while they hold out for more time. Hiding a deadline means you’re negotiating with yourself, and in that situation, you will always lose.

1. Tell your counterpart your deadline.