Customer Reviews

Bargaining for Advantage : Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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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.

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.

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.

Shell's new book is great. He offers a roadmap of ideas to help you negotiate, and it's fun reading. He breaks the book into two basic parts. THe first part talks about six foundations of effective negotiation, ranging from setting goals and expectations to finding points of leverage. The second part offers advice on the negotiation process (e.g., preparation, making concessions, etc.)

His book seems to suggest, however, that negotiating is a rational endeavor. Even the advice on building relationships seems mechanical rather than natural (e.g., giving gifts, favors, etc). This all may work, but I'd find some of the advice hard to do in some of my negotiations with tougher clients who I deal with time and again.

Overall, Shell's book is great, but my own personal style of negotiation is more in line with the new negotiation bestseller by Roger Fisher of Harvard -- "Beyond Reason: Using EMotions as YOu Negotiate." Beyond Reason offers 5 principles that I could easily remember to improve my negotiating effectiveness -- and without seeming mechanical or inauthentic.

G. Richard Shell's book on negotiation was my first read on the topic, aside from a little Dorling Kindersley guide. This is not a book to teach you how to be a cutthroat or hardball negotiator, it is a book designed to help YOU get the best solution every time.

The author is to be commended for a number of achievements in this book. First, the writing was excellent -- easy to read, yet not simplistic; interesting enough that I actually enjoyed it; and extremely well organized. Unlike maky other books, the anecdotes are both interesting and well-used to illustrate his points.

Second, the author presents guidance on a wide range of issues. One section helps you identify your bargaining style and then gives you suggestions on how to maximize its effectiveness. Another offers advice on how your strategy should change based on the relationship (or lack thereof) between the two parties. This book is not just for MBAs; it's for all people, since everyone negotiates in various forms with everyone else.

Third, the book achieves an excellent balance between theory and practice. Shell refers to numerous psychology and economics experiments to describe the ideas beneath the negotiation process, but he also gives real-world advice on how to put these ideas to work.

Finally, a section on ethics is included which, although enlightening enough to provide a basic knowledge of legal, moral, and practical implications of various bargaining strategies, is really only a primer to a much larger topic.

Again, this was a truly excellent book, especially for anyone looking for a first read on the topic.

Richard's experience in conducting various workshops shows on how he presents himself in this wonderful book. Well written and easy to read.

What's lacking however are specifics. Most people are specifically interested in negotiating or bargaining for better compensation when looking for a job or negotiating with a supplier for better overall prices, what to look for in a M&A situation etc. There is also little discussion with respect to "kickbacks" offered during negotiations, an accepted practice in a number of countries. I know it is illegal, but its awareness is most critical especially when the whole corporate world is being "globalized". The discussion should then lead to its awareness, alternatives in combating or avoiding or handling in most appropriate way.

The book nevertheless is very useful in developing your own strategy for specific situations. Deserves 4plus stars.

This book is by far the best business reference book i read in a long while. Its negotiations theory is supported by psychological research which make sense and help you remember why the offered techniques are useful. The fascinating real life anecdotes help clarify the theory and make this book a fun read. For those who are looking for a serious book and a tool to handle different negotiation situations successfully, I highly recommend it.

I really like the subject of negotiation. As a matter of fact we all negotiate, I'm an engineer and I negotiate all day: with marketing, with manufacturing, with suppliers. I needed some key concepts to bring with me in every negotiation. I knew I was naturally doing something good and something bad in every negotiation and I needed to become more reliable.
This book gave lots of good inputs, starting from my favourite: know your style. I now realised how, being almost a natural "compromiser" or "problem solver", I need to improve in those negotiations where stakes matter more than relationship. A very interesting book for people who want to be more effective and want to analyze their own behaviour in day to day negotiations.

This book is probably the most thoroughly researched book I have read on negotiation. I have read other books where the author tells you to say or do this or that, but does not back it up with a reason. This author, G. Richard Shell, gives the reasons why you do the things he tells you to do. I am a person that likes to understand why something works, so this book answered many questions for me and gave me new ways of approaching negotiations that I had not considered yet.

Mr Shell goes into detail about how to get into a relationship with prospects. Because people like to buy from their friends. Most people will tell you they make logical decisions, but in reality they make emotional decisions and then try to back it up with logic. If you can identify and understand their emotional triggers you can steer your negotiations in the direction you need, which is to help them solve a problem or need that they have.

The "Bargaining Style Assessment Tool" in appendix A is very helpful. It can let you know what your personal bargaining preference is. Once you know your style you can work from your base of comfort and be more effective because you are primarily using the style that is most comfortable for your personality.

The section on "Ethics in Negotiation" is enlightening. While my personal belief is to be 100% honest and ethical with a prospect, he explains the different levels of ethics and how other groups of people use ethics. By understanding the different levels of ethics by personality type you can recognize and understand what the other side of the negotiation is feeling. Everybody believes they are ethical, and the author explains why some people may lie to a prospect and still believe they are being ethical. These are things you need to know when dealing with others, because no matter who you are, there is a good chance that many people you deal with think differently on this subject.

Overall I think this is a very complete book about negotiation and dealing with others.

'Bargaining for Advantage' is tightly packed with vivid examples to illustrate various negotiation strategies & tactics, in a high-impact way. Shell has also successfully managed to present findings of various research (psychology, sociology, economics etc.) in a fun & readable, yet not simplistic, manner. His logical & specific advice is also pragmatic for business executives.