Need a good book on negotiating

[glaucus]

Is anyone aware of a good book on building everyday negotiating skills? After scouring Amazon, there are four I'm considering:
Influence - Cialdini
Bargaining for Advantage - Shell
Getting to Yes - Fisher
The Negotiating Game - Karrass

Is any one better than the others? Do you have any other titles in mind that have done you right over the years? I will consider a book that comes at negotiating from a business perspective, but am most interested in techniques that carryover into general situations too. Thanks in advance!

[johnep]

I have read Getting to yes and recommend that to you. Another book to consider is:
What they didn't teach you at Harvard Business School by Mark Mccormack

The Mccormack book was initially published in 1986 and had powerful influence on me, perhaps because it fits my way of thinking. He was one of first high profile sports agents and was very successful. It covers more than just negotiating but is a good read.

I did a lot of negotiation in my career and learned through trial and error (I do not recommend this approach). Negotiation is a weakness of many in business so I commend you for seeking knowledge on this imporatant topic.

[lwfitzge]

Getting to Yes..

[WHL]

Interesting topic. I have read a few business books, so no harm in reading another...based on recommendations in this thread, I found "Getting to Yes" on barnes and noble and purchased it for $1.99 plus $4 in shipping - half the price of Amazon.

[john94549]

Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

[Hastibe]

I also recommend Getting to Yes, and it's a fast read.

[simplesimon]

Took an entire semester on negotiations in business school and Getting to Yes was the book to read. Also took a private equity class where the professor who spent 20 years in PE after graduating from Harvard Business School said it was the most influential book that's helped him negotiate that he's ever read.

[KyleAAA]

Getting To Yes is excellent. I've read Influence by Cialdini and while it's an interesting read, it doesn't really focus on negotiating, per se.

[bengal22]

power of agreement by Molitar

anything by machivelli is good as well

[abuss368]

How about "Trump Style Negotiation"?

[Abe]

[This was merged in from its own thread. It was off topic when posted in isolation, but works as a reply here. There were only a couple of followups, they can be recognized by the post titles. - admin alex]

I was going to post this on another thread, but the topic was locked, so I decided to start a new thread because I think this subject is very valuable to people (Bogleheads) who want to save money. I would be interested in comments, suggestions or interesting stories from other posters regarding negotiating.

A long time ago a very wise person advised me to get a book on negotiating and read it. I ordered "Secrets of Power Negotiating", by Roger Dawson. Shortly after reading the book, my wife and I were in an antique store and there was an item I was interested in. I can't remember the exact numbers, so I will make them up. There were two ladies running the store. I asked one of them how much the item was. She said $50.00. I had just read the negotiating book and one of the strategies (called gambits in the book) was to just "Shut Up" after asking how much. After the lady told me the price was $50.00, I didn't say anything. There was a long silence, but finally she said she would take $30.00. The other lady was quite upset and asked her why she came down to $30.00. Her answer was, "well, he didn't say anything". I more than recovered the cost of the book right there. I would recommend getting a book on negotiating and reading it. Even if you don't use the strategies (gambits) on others, you will know when they are using them on you.

[bkslainte]

"Is that the lowest possible price?"

This simple phrase has saved me thousands over the years

[Abe]

"Is that the lowest possible price?"

This simple phrase has saved me thousands over the years

It is amazing but it is also true that just saying the right words can save thousands of dollars. Always ask for a discount.

[yehudimenuhin]

Influence by Cialdini is great, but not directly about negotiation. It's a review of the psychology of persuasion, citing a lot of case studies and experiments. Not designed to be a practical guide, but the insights are highly usable.

Story: In the final class in my MBA course on Organization Processes (i.e., soft skills), the professor opened the floor to any and all questions. One student asked (only half jokingly) what books or tips could the prof recommend for manipulating people....taking things beyond the more acceptable approaches we had been covering that semester. Without pause, he recommended Influence as the best survey of how people can be persuaded to do things they have not intention of doing.

[leonard]

Getting More by Stuart Diamond.

Outstanding book. Easy to learn the principles and practice them during the course of everyday life. Gets you prepared for the big negotiations in life.

[ram]

Story-
When I bought my new house a few yrs ago we went furniture shopping. The store had a special where customers buying more than $2000 worth were asked to pick a piece of paper from a cookie jar and depending on what was written on the paper they would get anywhere from 10 to 50 % discount on the purchase. The sales person explained this to the lady in front of me and then added 'on average everybody will get 30% off' There were at least 200 folded pieces of paper in the jar

When my turn came I told him I am not the kind who gambles but would gladly take the average 30% discount that he just explained to the prior customer. He told me that they usually do not do that, but then called his manager. The manager offered me a flat 15% discount. I argued that the 30% number quoted by the sales person made more sense and we finally agreed to a 20% discount. We were within earshot of many other customers and at no point did I bring up the subject of the ratio of 10% paper slips to 50% paper slips.

[TF Hutch]

Flea markets and yard sales are a wonderful place to practice negotiating strategies.

[avalpert]

Getting to Yes and Getting Past No give you a good practical introduction.

As mentioned, Cialdini's book isn't about negotiating but has probably been the most influential book I have read in driving my approach to sales (in a wide range of situations where I have to sell things from client solutions to ideas internally).

[Jerilynn]

http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Negotiate ... 0553281097

You Can Negotiate Anything: The World's Best Negotiator Tells You How To Get What You Want [Mass Market Paperback]
Herb Cohen (Author)


4.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon. I read it years ago, it was great!

[jonbois]

I have read a number of books on negotiating, and used their methods. Getting to yes ..is a good book with lofty objectives and an interesting read. Karrass books detail the tactics to use and identifies the ones that are being used against you. You have to decide on the type of negotiations you are involved in and pick the appropriate style to utilize.

[RenoJay]

20 years ago I read "Negotiate to Close" by Gary Karass and the book paid for itself 20 times over within one hour when I walked into a negotiation.

[hq38sq43]

You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen. There are many similar books, but none better, and many much worse.

Best regards,

[BillyG]

I will second "Secrets of Power Negotiating", by Roger Dawson. I listened to his audio tapes a long time ago and they were very valuable.

Lots of people love "Getting to Yes" but I think it is too academic. They use it a lot in business school and law school programs. But it works for some people.

I also like the Brian Tracy audio programs on negotiating (I find his videos distracting). I think he is a fantastic communicator on a range of subjects from negotiating to business management to goal setting and achievement and even raising children. There are some common threads in these topics...

Billy

[norookie]

[SteveKL]

I've read many of the books suggested in this thread and +1 the recommendations so far. I'd also add "How to Argue and Win Every Time" by Gerry Spence and "Winning Through Intimidation" by Robert J. Ringer. Both have mildly off-putting titles, as the books are not actually about arguing or intimidating, but instead cover a wide range of psychology, non-verbal communication, closing techniques, etc. that are invaluable to both personal and business environments.