A comprehensive yet slightly dry book about negotiation. For simple negotiations such as when purchasing things it is possible to comprehensively break the transaction down into variables such as quantity purchased, delivery time and quality. Seller and buyer may place different importance on each aspect so the optimum transaction for both sides can be generated.
If you are thinking of closing a significant negotiation early be aware you may pay extra (i.e. suboptimal negotiation outcome) for the comfort of certainty. It may be best to take a step back and take time to think about your options and consider the optimum path forward.
Preparation is the key thing to be successful at winning more value in a negotiation. Map out the variables and relative importance of these from the point of view of each party, seek to establish ways in which you can generate value rather than trying to only take value.
Be cautious of the apparent 50 : 50 fair deal, usually if you suggest this or agree to this you could have achieved more.
Power in negotiations is key, deduce who holds this. Clearly it is hard to know the exact lowest price someone would settle for so you may need to use the art of listening to ascertain this.
Promotes a template for negotiation with different aspects on a clock face, not all of these categories are important for each negotiation.
The template includes the following, furth down the list the more complex this aspect is:
Bartering
Haggling / bidding
Hard bargaining
Dealing
Concession and trading
Win win
Partnership/joint problem solving
Relationship building
Experienced negotiators can be better to negotiate with than novice ones, as they are less likely to be completely unreasonable. Novice negotiators may adopy unreasonable in an attempt to prove their individual worth.
Time and circumstances are important in the negotiations, if timing is in your favour move forward. Ideally strategically map your negotiation process before starting.
