The asking price
The asking price is true, but it’s also an illusion.
If you are offered a job and negotiate a raise of 10% over what was originally offered, that’s good, but it has nothing at all to do with what you’re actually worth.
If you buy a house for 15% over asking price, it doesn’t mean you overpaid.
The asking price is a signal, a way to message expectations and begin a negotiation. It’s simply a guess about the future, made by the person who goes first.
It can anchor our thinking, but if we’re not careful, it can be an anchor that also drags us down.