--- title: "Ackerman model" description: "65, 85, 95 and 100 percent of target, ending on a precise number." canonical: https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/never-split-the-difference/ackerman-model/ updated: 2026-11-03 --- # Ackerman model > 65, 85, 95 and 100 percent of target, ending on a precise number. Chris Voss's framework, from Never Split the Difference, pp. 155 to 174. Framework 7 of 9 from [Never Split the Difference](https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/never-split-the-difference/index.md) by Chris Voss. Category: Offers and pricing. ## The steps 1. **Target.** Set it. 2. **65 percent first offer.** Extreme anchor. 3. **Three raises.** 85, 95, 100 percent. 4. **Empathy and no.** Get their counter first. 5. **Odd number.** Precise. 6. **Nonmonetary item.** Signals limit. ## Where it comes from From chapter: CHAPTER 9 | BARGAIN HARD, pp. 155–174 Voss starts with buying a red Toyota 4Runner for $30,000 against a $36,000 sticker by saying 'no' without the word. He sorts counterparts into Analysts, Accommodators and Assertives, and says the Golden Rule is wrong: treat people the way they need to be treated. He teaches how to take a punch from an extreme anchor and how to punch back with assertion, strategic umbrage and boundaries, without turning the other side into an enemy. The centrepiece is the Ackerman model, which starts at 65 percent of target and moves in decreasing steps to 85, 95 and 100 percent, ending on a precise number. ## The animation 24 seconds, 4:5, no sound. - MP4: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/never-split-the-difference/ackerman-model.mp4 - MP4, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/never-split-the-difference/ackerman-model-dark.mp4 - Still: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/never-split-the-difference/ackerman-model.png - Still, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/never-split-the-difference/ackerman-model-dark.png