Negotiation Boot Camp: How to Resolve Conflict, Satisfy Customers, and Make Better Deals [Hardcover]

Ed Brodow (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 26, 2006

We find ourselves engaged in various kinds of negotiations every day, from trying to land a new account or win a promotion at work, to buying a house or a car, or bargaining down a cell phone bill, or settling a dispute with a friend or spouse. In this groundbreaking book, negotiation expert Ed Brodow shows us how to settle conflicts amicably to reach a win-win solution every time.

Using the no-nonsense, results-oriented boot camp approach, Brodow drills readers on the basic skills needed to master the art of negotiation. After completing Brodow’s basic training program, you will have learned how to:

• Conquer your fear of confrontation and overcome the negative behaviors that hold you back
• Identify and develop your personal negotiation style
• Assess the other side’s strengths and weaknesses
• Get the other side to make concessions without giving up any of your goals
• Master the art of listening to understand the other side’s position and strengthen your own
• Avoid getting sidetracked by personal or emotional issues
• Create an atmosphere of trust in which the other party is a collaborator rather than a competitor
• Break through impasses and close the deal

Using a wealth of examples from real-life encounters, Brodow demonstrates how to negotiate for things most readers never knew were negotiable, such as department store purchases, medical costs, loan rates, phone bills, and credit card fees. He reveals how to develop the skills and the confidence each of us need to negotiate successfully, and achieve our goals at work and in our personal lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brodow (Beating the Success Trap) covers familiar territory in this primer on common negotiations like buying a new home or asking for a raise at work. There are also plenty of lists, such as 10 traits for successful negotiation (including being a good listener and knowing when to walk away), and three rules for achieving a win-win outcome. There are no surprises: the pointers are all along the lines of "ask for a better outcome than you are willing to settle for" and "make minor concessions." But Brodow brings a straightforward delivery to his material, based on a long-running seminar he's presented to blue-chip clients like Microsoft, Starbucks and Goldman Sachs. Drawing heavily upon his own professional and personal experiences as a U.S. Marine and a professional actor, he shows how to achieve "win-win" scenarios in various settings, suggesting that such collaborations are what makes negotiation one of humanity's greatest accomplishments. Readers who aren't looking for revolutionary techniques will find that Brodow's tactics get the job done. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Negotiation is not just for lawyers anymore. In everything we do, negotiation can play a key role, and Brodow, founder of the like-titled (and trademarked) seminar, shows how being a top-notch negotiator can help in all aspects of life. He starts out by breaking down assumptions that many people have about the art of negotiating, such as that you must be a tough person to be a good negotiator or that good negotiators are, by nature, bullies. Brodow attributes his know-how to his upbringing, where he earned an "MBA: Master of Brooklyn Acumen." His tips are clearly laid out and easy to follow, emphasizing the need to look at the situation from the perspective of the opponent in order to make the best deals. Given that a negotiation is not a one-side-takes-all endeavor but rather a series of concessions until an amicable results is reached, Brodow offers sound advice for knowing how much to concede and when, and how to know when to play one's cards closer to the chest. Whether negotiating for a new job, a car purchase, or selling one's home, there's something for everyone in this practical guide. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385518498
• ISBN-13: 978-0385518499
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.8 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Negotiating

More About the Author

Ed Brodow is the bestselling author of Fixer, Negotiation Boot Camp, Women From Venus, and Getting a Success Change. An internationally recognized expert on the art of negotiation, Ed was dubbed "King of Negotiators" by SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt. Ed has appeared as negotiation guru on PBS, ABC National News, Fox News, Inside Edition, and Fortune Business Report. As a speaker, he has enthralled more than 1,000 audiences in Paris, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Athens, Toronto, and New York. Ed is a veteran member of Screen Actors Guild, appearing in American and European movies with Jessica Lange, Ron Howard, and Christopher Reeve. A former Marine Corps officer, Ed graduated from Brooklyn College and lives in Monterey, California. Websites: www.brodow.com, www.fixerbook.com, www.successchange.com/.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ethical and well written February 8, 2007

By Roger Dawson

Format:Hardcover

I liked this book a lot. Most negotiating books are either so complicated that you'd have to be an ambassador to understand them or so aggressive in their tactics that you wouldn't want to use them. This book is a perfect balance of ethical methods that will make you a winner. Ed Brodow is a competitor of mine on the negotiating lecture circuit and he has done an excellent job of distilling his all-day boot camp into a highly readable book. From Roger Dawson, Author of "Secrets of Power Negotiation."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is worth its weight in gold! January 5, 2007

By B. Wishner

Format:Hardcover

The best book on negotiation ever written! Most of these books are boring and trite. I read this one

yesterday and it has already made money for me in a pending business deal! Ed Brodow teaches negotiating

to the pros at Microsoft, AT&T, Starbucks, the Pentagon, etc. These people don't fool around, so you

know this is the real McCoy! His boot camp runs you through all the elements of a successful negotiation,

from creating your targets and strategies, to dealing with tough-to-handle tactics, and when to walk away.

He leaves it up to you to decide whether you want to be an adversarial or cooperative negotiator, although

he describes how the win-win approach can make your life a lot easier. He also shows how to negotiate for

personal items like your salary, department store purchases, and medical bills. Each chapter includes

plenty of real-world examples from both business world and day-to-day situations. I have to agree with former SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt: "Negotiation Boot Camp shows us how to succeed - not just in negotiations but also in life itself. This is a must-read."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars FIVE STARS TODAY BECAUSE IT WORKS! DOES IT EVER! June 10, 2009

By hawthorne wood

Format:Hardcover

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I have been trying to find a good book on negotiating for years. Women really must learn to hone their negotiating skills. As soon as I got into the book I realized that, to one degree or another, I have been negotiating for years about all kinds of things. What I needed to know was that there is almost nothing that is not up for negotiation. I started practicing and found that just about everything I thought was "writ in stone" - was not! I satisfactorily navigated several small things, like phone and credit card payments, cost of my bank checks and even a barter situation I had previously thought impossible. But today was the ultimate test: my car broke down and I was quoted a dozen repairs on it. For one thing, it turned out that it really only needed three immediately. The cost was very high. My husband walked around grumbling and ready to rip up a tree when I gave him the quote. He said, "Oh, just get it done. Call them back and agree to it." Well, I did call them back. But I told them that we only had so much money in the bank, that my husband's truck had recently been stolen (ok, so it was a year ago) and we were really hurting financially (who isn't?). They told me to hold the line and came back with a quote that was HALF the original! I felt like a hero! I went out to my husband and told him what had happened. He said, "How can that be?" I said, "Negotiation Boot Camp," that;s how!" Thank you to this wonderful author. I will use these newly-discovered skills for the rest of my life, and it just makes life more fun. I can hardly wait to negotiate the next conundrum, whether it be commercial or social. Yay!