A target is not an opening. In the Framing module, bracketing is the math between those two numbers. You place the first figure far enough from the target that a reasonable exchange can land near the outcome the deal actually needs.
Work backward from the target
Say the target is $100 in annual support dollars. If the other side is likely to counter near $120, an opening at $80 puts the midpoint on $100. That is the bracket. The opening is not the figure you expect to keep. It is the figure that protects the figure you need. Open on the target itself and the only direction left is a weaker result. The first number should be chosen so a fair middle still serves the profit line.
Keep the opening defensible
Bracketing feels uncomfortable because you are asking for something you do not expect to receive. That discomfort is not a reason to shrink the opening. A seasoned counterpart expects a first position that is not a final position. What they will reject is a number you cannot explain. Tie the bracket to volume, cost, or a comparable deal so it feels serious. An ambitious opening with a rationale is a position. An ambitious opening with no rationale is noise, and it can cost credibility before the real trade even starts.
Leave room they can claim
The other side needs a move they can take back to their team. If you open at the real target, you remove that room and still tend to give ground once pressure shows up. A bracket creates space for them to improve the deal from their side while you stay near the outcome you planned. If their first number is already better than your target, do not drag the conversation backward just to perform the dance. Use the bracket when you are setting the first number, or when their anchor sits on the wrong side of the target. Do the math before the meeting, not in the middle of it. Put both numbers on one page before the call.
Takeaway: Write the target first, then write the opening that makes a fair midpoint land on that target.
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