6. What documentation or proof do you have to validate your position?
You may have heard the adage "Trust but verify." It's important to know that what is being presented is 100 percent factual. The best way to determine authenticity is by verifying the facts through documentation that validates what is being presented. A trusting nature will not serve you well in a negotiation where decisions are being made based on certain claims. It's imperative to secure documentation to back up applicable assertions. And, while cliché, it's often true: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There is an important place for skepticism in a negotiation in that it'll fuel your need for verification prior to officiating an agreement or signing on the dotted line. Once that ink is dry, undoing a deal, however disingenuous, is far more difficult and quite unpleasant.