Depict Visual Balance With Your Counterpart

People care about relative value. How much do they receive compared to you?

In one study, researchers asked people to participate in an experiment:

• One group was offered $7.
• Another group was offered $8 (but they were told that other participants were paid $10).

The second group was less likely to participate, even though they were offered more money (Blount & Bazerman, 1996).

In negotiations, you need a sense of equality. Your list of benefits should never seem visually longer (Petty & Cacioppo, 1984).

• Blount, S., & Bazerman, M. H. (1996). The inconsistent evaluation of absolute versus comparative payoffs in labor supply and bargaining. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 30(2), 227-240.
• Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1984). Source factors and the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. ACR North American Advances.