Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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89 of 91 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely practical guide to learning effective negotiaions, October 14, 1999
By A Customer
I had always been under two false impressions about negotiations. First, that negotiations are all about business and commercial transactions. Second, that negotiations are about hardball tactics where the stronger side "wins" and gets away with a great deal while the weaker side is beaten down and suckered into a raw deal.Richard Shell's book completely changed this impression. This is a book that is well written and the ideas are structured in way that I could read and take away bite-sized chunks. The book is also very practical and ends each section with a checklist to be used when you negotiate. Shell has made the book very readable by not going overboard on negotiations theories and sprinkling the book with some terrific stories. The stories range from negotiation strategies employed by Mahatma Gandhi and Akio Morita to Indonesian villagers and Tanzanian tribesmen. The main message of the book is that negotiations are mostly about relationships and that each party may have something to offer that is of enormous value to the other party. By building your relationship and unearthing that value you can conclude a successful negotiation where everybody leaves the boardroom or village center with satisfaction. Shell draws his rich material from many negotiating situations (e.g.-: kids negotiating with their parents about dinner, an elderly widow negotiating with real estate tycoon Donald Trump, and the negotiations for buying out RJR Nabisco). He has also drawn on negotiating styles from around the world and compared the cultural differences (e.g.-: Gandhi negotiating in South Africa, the importance of networks or Guanxi in Chinese cultures, etc.) The first part of the book focuses on the six foundations of effective negotiation - being aware of your personal style, setting goals, adhering to certain standards, building relationships, uncovering the other person's interests and making use of leverage. The second part of the book is about the negotiation process - preparing you strategy, exchanging information, the actual negotiation, and finally getting commitment. I liked Shell's use of a chessboard metaphor to put these principles into a framework. It is unlikely you will master all these skills in one shot. This is a book you want to come back to every now and then, nibble a bit, practice the skill during your next negotiation opportunity, and go read the book some more. I would strongly recommend the book because it teaches you skills to successfully negotiate your way through life. Even if you were to measure it in narrow monetary terms this book would reward you enormously in all the big-ticket negotiations we do in our lives such as buying a car, buying a house, agreeing on a salary, or accepting you next stock options package. But, even more important shell gives you valuable lessons about setting goals, following a strategy and building a meaningful relationship with the people you interact with whether it is your spouse, friend, grocer, or friendly neighborhood business tycoon. When I finished the book I realized that this book is not just about negotiations. It is an enlightening and entertaining book about living more effectively. While it will certainly help you negotiate a better price on your house it will also help you develop a more meaningful relationship with your spouse or child the next time you negotiate your vacation or broccoli vs. ice-cream deal.
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A better "Getting to Yes", February 12, 2003
This book is an improvement on what "Getting to Yes" tries to achieve. It is much more descriptive of the mechanisms of negotiation, with often three or four stories, as opposed to one for each topic in "Getting to Yes". It breaks down negotiation into four parts (Preparation, Information Exchange, Bargain, and Settlement), and goes into each in depth, with many stories (the most I have seen in a negotiation book, which I appreciate). Also tackles the negotiation process from the standpoint of people who are very competitive and from the standpoint fo people that are non-confrontational, which I found useful as well.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
May be the single best business book I've ever read, January 8, 2000
Who knew that a business "how to" book could also be an enormously enjoyable and enlightening treatise on human relationships? Shell combines psychology, sociology, morality, and economics (and decades of personal and professional experience) to offer lessons you will not only want to do business by, but also to live by. "Bargaining for Advantage" will help you gain as much of an upper hand as you are comfortable gaining -- in any business situation -- and be happy doing it. Best of all, by nonfiction standards, it's a page turner. Buy it without hesitation. You'll be glad you did.
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