Haggling is on the up, with over half of us more likely to negotiate on price than five years ago, according to research by Santander.

There are all sorts of things I could write about. For example, containing your emotions is useful.

But this is not the defining factors in haggling. The main techniques that, in my experience, lead to confident negotiations with the right outcome:

Understand what a fair price is - You can’t just announce a ludicrously high or low figure and expect to meet at a fair price. You need to know what a fair price is for both you and the person you’re dealing with. You need to be clear in your head what an unfair price is, too. By truly understanding what is fair and unfair – which takes great personal honesty – you can negotiate confidently and with moral authority. This helps defeat your shyness.

It also leads to the best outcome for you: if your opponent is willing to deal at a fair price – or even better a great price – you make a deal. If not, your best outcome is to walk away. You should feel good that you made the right decision in either event.