That said, I think there’s definitely some validity to your point about proving yourself to your company. Again, this could influence future raises/bonuses, which would also be based on that initial base-salary; don’t be scared to negotiate it.

No recruiter wants to invest a bunch of time into a candidate they really want only to be turned down at the very end of the entire process. That’s lost opportunity cost.

I would like to add the following:
1) When asked about your salary expectations, I agree you should give a range, but also be clear about what benefits you want.
2) When given the offer by the recruiter, don’t show your cards! Keep a poker face, and say hmmm….
Use silence to your advantage. Nothing makes an extroverted recruiter more nervous than silence. There is a good chance a rookie recruiter or nervous expert will fill in that silence with either more information or will give you cues that the offer is negotiable.
3) Always take 24 hours to think over an offer. Say you need to talk things over with your spouse if you need to give a reason for the delay…but either way it will make the recruiter nervous and ready for your counter-offer.
4) As a recruiter, I never offered the absolute highest possible salary I could give the candidate. I did this because I knew they would (or should) counter-offer and I wanted to be able to increase the offer to make the candidate feel like they had some power.
5) When the salary itself is NOT negotiable (this is rare, but happens due to salary caps for certain job titles in big organizations) ALWAYS negotiate benefits. Ask for an extra week of vacation or guaranteed tuition reimbursement, etc. These are easy ways for you to get more for your money and the manager could care less about giving these things away.