Customer Reviews

How to Negotiate Anything with Anyone, Anywhere Around the World

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

 

 

I read this book before traveling abroad and found many handy facts to help me in daily social situations. This book gives information on both business and social settings which I also found extremely helpful. Make sure to have a recent edition as country facts and norms seem to be constantly evolving. Easy read with a great touch of dry humor.

Can be used for an in depth analysis of cultural norms around the world, or can be extremely handy as a quick reference before an important business trip or meeting. This book will put you one step ahead.

Taken with a grain of salt it's a great starting point for anyone interested in developing their negotiation skills.

To review this book is to look at the competition, which is very thin. This reference does an admirable job filling a very large hole in the market. There is of course endless room for growth (one could no doubt write a book entirely dedicated to negotiation in Kazakhstan), but the book does not endeavor to do that, whether by region, country, or industry. Instead, it is a good shelf reference for any business person about to undertake international negotiations.

Good and funny book. But the author is not quite right about Germany. As for conversation: Well, unlike the British, we do not use the weather as a conversation topic. The author is right when he says you should avoid talking about World War II, but we Germans just love to discuss politics. And we do not only discuss German politics!
And yes, we may seem unfriendly, but it's just our directness that makes us seem unfriendly in American eyes.

As for table manners: Do not only keep your hands on the table, but eat holding the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right.

Gender issues: It is not true that in Germany chauvinism is alive and well - at least I have never experienced it. Germans are not resistant to women working - more than 50% of German females work. Also, more and more women are in leading positions. Remember, Germany is governed by a woman!

Cornelia Lohs
German Journalist

A course I was viewing mentioned excerpts from this book so I was curious to learn more. I have enjoyed the read. My only wish is that there is an updated version of the book available to see how statistics and interaction may have changed over the years. I have been more mindful of my interactions with my global counterparts though on the chance the perception of business in the USA is still very litigious.

There are decent country references to cultural norms, yet, as I read it, I couldn't help but think that it was common sense. It may take the mystery out of international conversations, but most international-savvy business people will find this a tedious read.

Why only 3 stars?. Ok. Maybe is 4 and a half if you are an american citizen. The reason is beacause many of the information is recopiled from other sources. You can divide the book in 3 sections. One is like extract of an administrative course, like an MBA or something similar. The other are more a "common sense" recomendations, like "don't argue too much", "do not fight with your partner". Like mom's suggestions. And the last one (more than a half of the book) is like an adaptative version of the CIA factbook (avaible on Internet, and of course, up to date), where the author describes for each country a general overview of it, but never profundize on their culture or what about the relation with other country; only with the americans. Let me show you some examples: With my country (México) he suggest not to talk about or borders or the inmmigrants, but never talks about the religion, the political relation with other countries. There is no need to say that the author never talks about the culture, what kind of thinks hates or loves people form different cultures, how and why they act in some ways; he is like saying that japanese or the turkish are almost the same, only they likes somethings and dislikes other ones. He only talks like saying all the time: "(if you are an american)... do not argue with japanese about the relation with USA in the WWII". Welll.. What if I am not american?

At last, is good "general overview" reference book; but basically most usefull if you are an american citizen (and is not complete).

After reading this book, I am better able to discuss meaningful topics with members of other cultures. Now, instead of focusing primarily on American cultural views, I can shift the conversation to include many points of view (most important, the listener's)! I recently used the information I obtained from reading Acuff's book during a conversation with a woman from Nigeria. She was so surprised when I asked her if Americans made the mistake of calling her normal clothing, a costume. I was able to empathize with her and to discuss her frustration regarding that particular issue. We now talk every week! I highly recommend this book for both personal and professional growth. The author is down-to-earth and his real-life accounts are interesting and fun to read!