Most people can't negotiate at all. They think they can but that's because they haven't defined what it means to win in a negotation. For instance I have a friend who is an aggressive and competitive negotiator who almost always wants to win and for his opponent to lose (WIN - lose). His problem is that he almost always loses but doesn't consider it a loss since he moves the goal posts or he starts to play another game. He goes from a game of business negotiation, loses, then makes it a moral issue where he believes he wins. In fact he loses that too. To top it all off he is also very emotional so he argues from emotion, not logic.
This book would help him. He could see that in most of his big moralistic wins he actually lost and lost big. He would have seen that he was in an inferior position when it came to leverage. Often times he had a lot to lose and a lot to win but since his goal was to win 100% he often lost that much. He came away with nothing. If armed with this book he would know better and would try to get as much as he could in his inferior position. He would be negotiating with logic and not emotion. He would define "winning" in a different way.
However we need not dwell on my friend. Let me tell you what I took away from this book. I learned that figuring out a person's negotiating style and determining who had the leverage were the most important things. If I come across a compromising person with a lot of leverage I become an aggressive negotiator and I try to get as much as possible without losing the deal. If somebody is a weak negotiator I am ruthless regardless of their leverage. If I have all the leverage and nothing to lose I'll be aggressive again. I compromise when I know I have little to know leverage but I never give up that fact to the person I'm negotiating with. Lastly, I always try to make the deal be perceived as a win-win no matter what I was thinking. They get some of what they want but I got most of all I want.
However, I have learned more about negotiating since this book so let me tell you that this is not the end-all, be-all of negotiating books. Read others, take seminars, research different approaches and you'll get better and better. This book gives an amazing foundation for you. It's taught in some law school negotiation classes and it's on a lot of business school class syllabi. It will frame your thinking on negotiations and teach you to be logical instead of emotional.
The book is practical, logical and can be applied the same day you read it. If you read one business book this year read this one. The other is just noise (unless it's another classic in negotiating.)
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Popular Highlights in this book
A negotiation is an interactive communication process that may take place whenever we want something from someone else or another person wants something from us.Highlighted by 1,243 Kindle readers- The more specific your vision of what you want and the more committed you are to that vision, the more likely you are to obtain it.Highlighted by 1,225 Kindle readers
- Our goals give us direction, but our expectations are what give weight and conviction to our statements at the bargaining table.Highlighted by 1,208 Kindle readers
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Reviews with images
Damaged
Some damage to the book when delivered. The package was intact, so I would assume the damage was done prior to shipment.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2011
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2013
Top reviews from other countries
Maria Stephanie Padilla Marquez
Beat up book
Reviewed in Mexico on August 16, 2020
Maria Stephanie Padilla Marquez
Reviewed in Mexico on August 16, 2020
Images in this review
DT
Why, How and What of Negotiation
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2021