Customer Reviews

Strategic Negotiation: A Breakthrough Four-Step Process for Effective Business Negotiation

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have read many, many books on negotiation. I present courses on the subject. You may argue that makes me entitled to express my opinion in a forum such as this one. On the other hand, I may be biased. I don't look at books the way a person who has never read a book on negotiation would. Such a person could find this book OK or could even like it ... Perhaps.

To me, there is nothing new here. Sensationalistic title words such as STRATEGIC and BREAKTHROUGH are poor taste at best or misleading advertising at worst.

Just as there are too many books on time management, there are far to many books on negotiation. This one makes the trend worse. Better alternatives would be
* The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator by Leigh L. Thompson
* The Power of Nice by Shapiro and Jankowski
* Negotiating Rationally by Max Bazerman and Margaret Neale

Leave this one on the shelves.

This is the first book I've read on the issue of negotiation. The book is easy to read, and the author uses good, solid examples to illustrate the techniques they are teaching. The writing style is clean, clear, and simple, without being so simplistic as to seem unbelieveable.

The author tries to show readers how to remain objective in negotiations, rather than letting their emotions take control. The speak of being "soft on people and hard on principles", the idea of staying focussed on the problem and not attacking or blaming people. The parts I found most useful are the notions of focussing on interests rather than positions, and finding alternatives that will allow both parties in the negotiation to gain something. The idea of moving away from positions to finding the common ground of shared interests is one that is particularly useful in that it can be applied to any situation, be it a parent/child conflict, a work situation, or any negotiation. This concept shows readers how to focus on their long term goals rather than on being "right" and winning in the short term.

I have used the techniques in this book to great success many times, in a variety of areas in my life from work to family. They are easy to use, and they work! I highly reccommend this classic text to everyone.

Brian provides a clear method of putting yourself on the other side of the table. He allows you to go into a negotiation with a larger opportunity and insures that you will maintain the maximum value. you will identify tactics you have been using instinctively and puts a process around them. Several big "AHA's"

It's a great book and a great process. The approach is simple common sense applied through a user friendly format. It works for just about any negotiation situation, and is especially good for selling/buying situations where you will have repeat encounters. True Win-Win negotiations are required in these cases, and this systematic approach results in maximum levels of satisfaction on both sides of the table. You are directed towards understanding the value to each side, what each want to achieve, their priorities, and the consequences of no agreement from which you can form a proposal. This is a refreshing opportunity for departure from the normal mode of operation where all buyers and most sales people jump straight to price and fail to explore the other important opportunities to form agreement.

The power of this book is that it changes the definition of what it means to win, by increasing the power of both sides. Negotiations are frought with opportunities for humiliation and loss -- users of this book may actually look forward to the opportunities to resolve conflict.

I especially liked the section on estimating your own and the other side's wish list. It proves the value of taking the time to prepare! Thanks to Brian for getting it so very right.

With the "speed of light" changes of buisness today, this book re-focuses us on the most important asset we have, knowledge and strategy. Brian breaks down and re-builds the process and ones confidence through a series of proven concepts and real-time experiences that are invaluable to my approach in buisness. I will share this book with all who need that "mental makeover" we occasionally need.

This book is full of gems that I use daily. I am the Director of Business Development for my company and I have implented the strategies in this book the assist me with all negotiations in which I'm invloved, with much success. I highly recommend this for anyone in sales!

If you value your time as much as I do, and need a way to measure how effective your negotiations are, then get this book. A great analytical approach that is easily broken down into usable steps defining what solutions you can bring to the table when negotiating. Surprise the "other side" and go beyond their expectations.

"The `Art of Negotiating' has been significantly redefined! This remarkable book provides a simplistic four step process that will prove to be an asset to amateurs and experts alike. Mr. Dietmeyer has created a strategy that can be implemented effectively to all types of negotiating. Before you head to the bargaining table again be sure to have this with you!"

This book was exceptional!

I have always considered sales negotiation to be " a necessary evil" of selling. This book helped me to realize that sales negotiation is an easy to understand repeatable & measurable process focused on what you "do" rather than what you "say". What I didn't expect was how well the 4 step strategic negotiation process fit within my existing sales process and takes it to a whole new level of value.

Specific areas within the book that immediately helped:

*BUILDS CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS: How the Strategic Negotiation Process builds the customer relationship not make it tense or adversarial. (The last book I read on negotiation offered 135 tactics and countermeasures on negotiation...how do you build a positive relationship by being reactive?)

*NEGOTIATION BLUEPRINT: The CNA (Consequences of No Agreement)and Trade Analysis shed a completely different view of the sales opportunity helping my team realize what the real opportunity was.

*WORKSHEETS: The worksheets spread throughout the book allowed my team to work a specific and challenging deal we were probably not going to win. As a result of using the process we were able to analyze the CNA, expand the ($)deal, trade a few high value items to both sides. As result our competition can no longer compete, the deal promotes a longer term, more valuable relationship to both sides.

*THE 4 STEP PROCESS: As mentioned earlier...the negotiation process Deitmeyer details in the book blends well with our current sales process (we now call it the sales process on steriods) Each step builds from the previous helping my team recognize what and where the vulnerabilities are allowing us to focus in the right places with the right people on the right issues.