Customer Reviews

Give and Take Revise

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4 star:		(1)
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I collect books on negotiation and used to teach it at college level in connection with real estate classes. Give and Take is the best book I know of on negotiating tactics as opposed to theory. It is an alphabetically arranged list of dozens of strategies and ploys used by real negotiators. It is similar in this regard to Gavin Kennedy's excellent Pocket Negotiator (Economist) and David Churchman's Negotiation Tactics. Give and Take is most suitable for those involved in business and sales negotiations. I own several copies and carry one around with me in my car. Unless you're in an academic setting or a professional negotiator, this book is the one to buy. It has made me a lot of money.

I have 2 major complaints regarding this book. First, the title is completely misleading. The book contains strategies for SALES people. I agree that there may be strategies that sales people use that may be employed by other business people, yet I hardly agree that this constitutes "The Complete Guide to Negotiating Strategies and Tactics."

Second, the organization of this book is horrendous. It's exactly like reading an Internet newsgroup. There are no chapters, but instead one or two pages on each "tactic or strategy." There is no attempt at categorizing the information. And like a newsgroup, the noise to signal ratio is ridiculously high. While you may find golden nuggets of wisdom, you will spend precious time digging for them. Best of luck if you ever want to refer to them again.

Look elsewhere for a good book on negotiation. My copy just went into the garbage, maybe you can look there.

When I went solo as a South Florida Business Coach, a family member gave me a 1974 hardcover copy of Dr. Chester L. Karrass' classic book, Give and Take: The Complete Guide to Negotiating Strategies and Tactics. Today, Karrass offers a 1995 revision of the book, as well as popular seminars around the country and free negotiating tips every day through email ([...].)

In the book, you can flip to a 61-question quiz called, "Rate Yourself as a Negotiator." You could take the quiz before reading the book, and then retake the quiz six months after you start implementing ideas from the book.

Of the 200 strategies/tactics presented in alphabetical order, here are 10 of my favorites:

1. Assumptions: Examples of assumptions include "He'll never pay that much" or "She doesn't have enough money" or "There's lots of competition." Don't let your assumptions sabotage the negotiation process before it starts.

2. Booby traps: Avoid pitfalls such as blatant lying, bogus claims, bribes, secret recordings, or threats. Also avoid tactics to intentionally accelerate the process by making the other person uncomfortable (e.g., squeaky chair, noisy room, constant interruptions, etc.) Maintain your integrity while working toward win-win solutions.

3. Catch-22: Although the temptation is to always appear sharp and quick-thinking, you'll probably have more successful results from your negotiations if you slow down your rate of speech a bit and use a few more pauses, giving everyone time to determine the ideal win-win solution.

4. Deadlines: Even when the perfect win-win solution is on the table, some hesitation can remain. A hesitant buyer is more likely to take action when the price is about to go up, the offer will expire in three days, a deposit must be received within 24 hours, or other hard deadlines. Similarly, a hesitant seller is more likely to accept an offer when the buyer is ready to talk with the competition the next day, or must have an estimate within 24 hours, or needs the approval of the decision-maker leaving the country at the end of the day, etc. Deadlines can drive action.

5. Listening: Take less and listen more. Keep actively listening and learning, even when an uncomfortable challenge arises or the other person brings up ideas that you don't like. Remain present and focused on the conversation. Listening is itself a concession. As Jim Rohn said, "Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention."

6. Patience: According to Karrass, "Patience is the most powerful tactic in negotiation." A quick negotiation is viewed by some organizations as a failed negotiation - a sign of bad judgment, which has led to terminations. Patience allows you to take enough time to fully understand the other person's position before agreeing on the best win-win solution.

7. Preparation: Anticipate questions, prepare answers in advance, determine your priorities ahead of time, set the agenda, and think about what you can do to make it easier for the other person to say yes. For example, if you're the seller, be prepared for the buyer to automatically offer a classic response to the final price, such as, "You've got to do better than that."

8. Satisfaction: A buyer is thinking about long-term satisfaction as well as short-term satisfaction. A smart salesperson increases the present value of the buyer's future satisfaction, so they can anticipate enjoying a greater return on their investment today.

9. Strong assertions: A cowboy once told Karrass, "You better say `I reckon' unless you're damn sure." Avoid making strong assertions such as "definitely" or "certainly" and try softer language such as "I imagine" or "I think."

10. Worth: A product or service is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, and there are many variables that affect how much someone is willing to pay. The cost of a product or service could be higher or lower than what it's really worth. Don't lose sight of the worth/value when negotiating the price.

In short, the book has a wealth of ideas to consider despite a bit of redundancy across all 200 strategies/tactics. Rate yourself as a negotiator and see if this book can help you improve your skills!

This is a very good book - it is in bite size sections that you can read, even one a day, to learn some techniques to get a YES from people who have the option to say NO to you.

Many of the MNCs use this book for their senior managers to learn new skills - so it works.

At twice the price, this book is definitely worth buying.

This book gives anyone a great guide for negotiating in business. It thouroghly goes over hundreds of negotiating tactics. A must read for anyone in business. Also good for personal negotiations.