Author: Matthew Guasco
Publisher: Entrepreneur Press
ISBN: 9781599181387
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Settle Disputes and Negotiate Better Deals Experienced mediators and educators present a simple, practical guide to negotiating better deals. Strategies and tactics developed through research in communication theory, game theory and psychology help you negotiate better business deals and improve communication with customers, suppliers and competitors. Concrete guidance on conflict resolution allows you to settle disputes before they escalate into costly lawsuits. Stories and examples pulled from situations you may face on a daily basis illustrate key points and demonstrate good and bad negotiation techniques. Guasco and Robinson cover: The essential steps in negotiation preparation Diagnosing your strengths and weaknesses and developing a negotiation plan A thorough analysis of competitive and cooperative negotiation, and tips on choosing the best course for a particular situation Strategically managing behavior at the negotiation table to shift the outcome in your favor These effective negotiation strategies ensure that you come out on top of any negotiation. Sample Documents on CD-ROM! Negative Behaviors and Tactics Problem-Solving Tool Closing Checklist Negotiation Preparation Checklist Negotiation Strategy Assessment Tool For 30 years, Entrepreneur has provided the most trusted business advice available to business owners. Our legal guides continue that tradition by offering current and cost-effective legal advice so you can resolve the business and legal issues you face on a daily basis. We also help you identify when it's in your best interest to seek the personalized advice and services of a practicing lawyer.
Principles of Negotiation: Strategies, Tactics, Techniques to Reach Agreement
Author: Matthew Guasco
Publisher: Entrepreneur Press
ISBN: 9781599181387
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Settle Disputes and Negotiate Better Deals Experienced mediators and educators present a simple, practical guide to negotiating better deals. Strategies and tactics developed through research in communication theory, game theory and psychology help you negotiate better business deals and improve communication with customers, suppliers and competitors. Concrete guidance on conflict resolution allows you to settle disputes before they escalate into costly lawsuits. Stories and examples pulled from situations you may face on a daily basis illustrate key points and demonstrate good and bad negotiation techniques. Guasco and Robinson cover: The essential steps in negotiation preparation Diagnosing your strengths and weaknesses and developing a negotiation plan A thorough analysis of competitive and cooperative negotiation, and tips on choosing the best course for a particular situation Strategically managing behavior at the negotiation table to shift the outcome in your favor These effective negotiation strategies ensure that you come out on top of any negotiation. Sample Documents on CD-ROM! Negative Behaviors and Tactics Problem-Solving Tool Closing Checklist Negotiation Preparation Checklist Negotiation Strategy Assessment Tool For 30 years, Entrepreneur has provided the most trusted business advice available to business owners. Our legal guides continue that tradition by offering current and cost-effective legal advice so you can resolve the business and legal issues you face on a daily basis. We also help you identify when it's in your best interest to seek the personalized advice and services of a practicing lawyer.
Publisher: Entrepreneur Press
ISBN: 9781599181387
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Settle Disputes and Negotiate Better Deals Experienced mediators and educators present a simple, practical guide to negotiating better deals. Strategies and tactics developed through research in communication theory, game theory and psychology help you negotiate better business deals and improve communication with customers, suppliers and competitors. Concrete guidance on conflict resolution allows you to settle disputes before they escalate into costly lawsuits. Stories and examples pulled from situations you may face on a daily basis illustrate key points and demonstrate good and bad negotiation techniques. Guasco and Robinson cover: The essential steps in negotiation preparation Diagnosing your strengths and weaknesses and developing a negotiation plan A thorough analysis of competitive and cooperative negotiation, and tips on choosing the best course for a particular situation Strategically managing behavior at the negotiation table to shift the outcome in your favor These effective negotiation strategies ensure that you come out on top of any negotiation. Sample Documents on CD-ROM! Negative Behaviors and Tactics Problem-Solving Tool Closing Checklist Negotiation Preparation Checklist Negotiation Strategy Assessment Tool For 30 years, Entrepreneur has provided the most trusted business advice available to business owners. Our legal guides continue that tradition by offering current and cost-effective legal advice so you can resolve the business and legal issues you face on a daily basis. We also help you identify when it's in your best interest to seek the personalized advice and services of a practicing lawyer.
Getting to Yes
Author: Roger Fisher
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780395631249
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
Describes a method of negotiation that isolates problems, focuses on interests, creates new options, and uses objective criteria to help two parties reach an agreement.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780395631249
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
Describes a method of negotiation that isolates problems, focuses on interests, creates new options, and uses objective criteria to help two parties reach an agreement.
Bargaining for Advantage
Author: G. Richard Shell
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780140289312
Category : Negotiation
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
Combining insights in negotiation research with the tactics used by some of the world's leading business strategists, Bargaining for Advantage is a practial guide to becoming a more effective negotiator. Richard Shell explores the hidden psychology and patterns that govern every bargaining situation. Driven by stories about everything from hostage taking and high stakes business deals to everyday encounters, this work offers a step-by-step approach that draws on your own communication style to make you a skilful negotiator.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780140289312
Category : Negotiation
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
Combining insights in negotiation research with the tactics used by some of the world's leading business strategists, Bargaining for Advantage is a practial guide to becoming a more effective negotiator. Richard Shell explores the hidden psychology and patterns that govern every bargaining situation. Driven by stories about everything from hostage taking and high stakes business deals to everyday encounters, this work offers a step-by-step approach that draws on your own communication style to make you a skilful negotiator.
Negotiation Genius
Author: Deepak Malhotra
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0553384112
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Book Description
From two leaders in executive education at Harvard Business School, here are the mental habits and proven strategies you need to achieve outstanding results in any negotiation. Whether you’ve “seen it all” or are just starting out, Negotiation Genius will dramatically improve your negotiating skills and confidence. Drawing on decades of behavioral research plus the experience of thousands of business clients, the authors take the mystery out of preparing for and executing negotiations—whether they involve multimillion-dollar deals or improving your next salary offer. What sets negotiation geniuses apart? They are the men and women who know how to: •Identify negotiation opportunities where others see no room for discussion •Discover the truth even when the other side wants to conceal it •Negotiate successfully from a position of weakness •Defuse threats, ultimatums, lies, and other hardball tactics •Overcome resistance and “sell” proposals using proven influence tactics •Negotiate ethically and create trusting relationships—along with great deals •Recognize when the best move is to walk away •And much, much more This book gets “down and dirty.” It gives you detailed strategies—including talking points—that work in the real world even when the other side is hostile, unethical, or more powerful. When you finish it, you will already have an action plan for your next negotiation. You will know what to do and why. You will also begin building your own reputation as a negotiation genius.
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0553384112
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Book Description
From two leaders in executive education at Harvard Business School, here are the mental habits and proven strategies you need to achieve outstanding results in any negotiation. Whether you’ve “seen it all” or are just starting out, Negotiation Genius will dramatically improve your negotiating skills and confidence. Drawing on decades of behavioral research plus the experience of thousands of business clients, the authors take the mystery out of preparing for and executing negotiations—whether they involve multimillion-dollar deals or improving your next salary offer. What sets negotiation geniuses apart? They are the men and women who know how to: •Identify negotiation opportunities where others see no room for discussion •Discover the truth even when the other side wants to conceal it •Negotiate successfully from a position of weakness •Defuse threats, ultimatums, lies, and other hardball tactics •Overcome resistance and “sell” proposals using proven influence tactics •Negotiate ethically and create trusting relationships—along with great deals •Recognize when the best move is to walk away •And much, much more This book gets “down and dirty.” It gives you detailed strategies—including talking points—that work in the real world even when the other side is hostile, unethical, or more powerful. When you finish it, you will already have an action plan for your next negotiation. You will know what to do and why. You will also begin building your own reputation as a negotiation genius.
Bargaining for Advantage
Author: G. Richard Shell
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101221372
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
A fully revised and updated edition of the quintessential guide to learning to negotiate effectively in every part of your life "A must read for everyone seeking to master negotiation. This newly updated classic just got even better."—Robert Cialdini, bestselling author of Influence and Pre-Suasion As director of the world-renowned Wharton Executive Negotiation Workshop, Professor G. Richard Shell has taught thousands of business leaders, lawyers, administrators, and other professionals how to survive and thrive in the sometimes rough-and-tumble world of negotiation. In the third edition of this internationally acclaimed book, he brings to life his systematic, step-by-step approach, built around negotiating effectively as who you are, not who you think you need to be. Shell combines lively stories about world-class negotiators from J. P. Morgan to Mahatma Gandhi with proven bargaining advice based on the latest research into negotiation and neuroscience. This updated edition includes: This updated edition includes: · An easy-to-take "Negotiation I.Q." test that reveals your unique strengths as a negotiator · A brand new chapter on reliable moves to use when you are short on bargaining power or stuck at an impasse · Insights on how to succeed when you negotiate online · Research on how gender and cultural differences can derail negotiations, and advice for putting relationships back on track
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101221372
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
A fully revised and updated edition of the quintessential guide to learning to negotiate effectively in every part of your life "A must read for everyone seeking to master negotiation. This newly updated classic just got even better."—Robert Cialdini, bestselling author of Influence and Pre-Suasion As director of the world-renowned Wharton Executive Negotiation Workshop, Professor G. Richard Shell has taught thousands of business leaders, lawyers, administrators, and other professionals how to survive and thrive in the sometimes rough-and-tumble world of negotiation. In the third edition of this internationally acclaimed book, he brings to life his systematic, step-by-step approach, built around negotiating effectively as who you are, not who you think you need to be. Shell combines lively stories about world-class negotiators from J. P. Morgan to Mahatma Gandhi with proven bargaining advice based on the latest research into negotiation and neuroscience. This updated edition includes: This updated edition includes: · An easy-to-take "Negotiation I.Q." test that reveals your unique strengths as a negotiator · A brand new chapter on reliable moves to use when you are short on bargaining power or stuck at an impasse · Insights on how to succeed when you negotiate online · Research on how gender and cultural differences can derail negotiations, and advice for putting relationships back on track
Getting Past No
Author: William Ury
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0553903640
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 210
Book Description
We all want to get to yes, but what happens when the other person keeps saying no? How can you negotiate successfully with a stubborn boss, an irate customer, or a deceitful coworker? In Getting Past No, William Ury of Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation offers a proven breakthrough strategy for turning adversaries into negotiating partners. You’ll learn how to: • Stay in control under pressure • Defuse anger and hostility • Find out what the other side really wants • Counter dirty tricks • Use power to bring the other side back to the table • Reach agreements that satisfies both sides' needs Getting Past No is the state-of-the-art book on negotiation for the twenty-first century. It will help you deal with tough times, tough people, and tough negotiations. You don’t have to get mad or get even. Instead, you can get what you want!
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0553903640
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 210
Book Description
We all want to get to yes, but what happens when the other person keeps saying no? How can you negotiate successfully with a stubborn boss, an irate customer, or a deceitful coworker? In Getting Past No, William Ury of Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation offers a proven breakthrough strategy for turning adversaries into negotiating partners. You’ll learn how to: • Stay in control under pressure • Defuse anger and hostility • Find out what the other side really wants • Counter dirty tricks • Use power to bring the other side back to the table • Reach agreements that satisfies both sides' needs Getting Past No is the state-of-the-art book on negotiation for the twenty-first century. It will help you deal with tough times, tough people, and tough negotiations. You don’t have to get mad or get even. Instead, you can get what you want!
The Intelligent Negotiator
Author: Charles Craver
Publisher: Crown Currency
ISBN: 0307557073
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Nearly every professional interaction you have during your career will involve a negotiation of some sort. Whether you're closing a million-dollar deal with a client, bargaining over your own terms of employment, or delegating duties among your coworkers, the key to successful negotiation is possessing intelligence. But intelligence doesn't mean just having smarts. It means knowing your opponents inside and out: how they respond under stress, what tricks they try to pull to catch you off guard, and how to negotiate a fair deal that makes both sides happy. It means knowing what they will ask for before they ask, what they are willing to give before they give, and where they will draw the line before they walk away from the table. The Intelligent Negotiator is your complete and practical guide to understanding and mastering effective negotiating skills. Author and negotiation expert Charles Craver goes beyond the basic principles of negotiation and gets down to the nitty-gritty steps of the process, including what kinds of clothes to wear to help you succeed, where to sit in a room during an important negotiation, what questions to ask, how to listen and watch effectively, how to present your offers, and, most importantly, when to give and when to take. Mr. Craver has taught the ins and outs of effective negotiation to more than 60,000 professionals from around the globe over the past 25 years. In this easy-to-use book, he reveals his never-fail techniques that will give you the confidence and persuasiveness of a seasoned pro. You'll discover how to: ·Identify the different types of negotiating techniques, when to use each one, and how to counter them ·Close a deal properly to avoid last-minute demands ·Walk away from a deal without losing your cool ·Prepare for the unexpected, master the mental game, and avoid psychological entrapment ·Understand the different stages of the negotiation process and what to do in each ·And much, much more Packed with interactive exercises, insightful anecdotes from the author's own career, and invaluable lessons on building a personal negotiating style, this is your complete guide to bargaining and deal-making the right way—with intelligence.
Publisher: Crown Currency
ISBN: 0307557073
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Nearly every professional interaction you have during your career will involve a negotiation of some sort. Whether you're closing a million-dollar deal with a client, bargaining over your own terms of employment, or delegating duties among your coworkers, the key to successful negotiation is possessing intelligence. But intelligence doesn't mean just having smarts. It means knowing your opponents inside and out: how they respond under stress, what tricks they try to pull to catch you off guard, and how to negotiate a fair deal that makes both sides happy. It means knowing what they will ask for before they ask, what they are willing to give before they give, and where they will draw the line before they walk away from the table. The Intelligent Negotiator is your complete and practical guide to understanding and mastering effective negotiating skills. Author and negotiation expert Charles Craver goes beyond the basic principles of negotiation and gets down to the nitty-gritty steps of the process, including what kinds of clothes to wear to help you succeed, where to sit in a room during an important negotiation, what questions to ask, how to listen and watch effectively, how to present your offers, and, most importantly, when to give and when to take. Mr. Craver has taught the ins and outs of effective negotiation to more than 60,000 professionals from around the globe over the past 25 years. In this easy-to-use book, he reveals his never-fail techniques that will give you the confidence and persuasiveness of a seasoned pro. You'll discover how to: ·Identify the different types of negotiating techniques, when to use each one, and how to counter them ·Close a deal properly to avoid last-minute demands ·Walk away from a deal without losing your cool ·Prepare for the unexpected, master the mental game, and avoid psychological entrapment ·Understand the different stages of the negotiation process and what to do in each ·And much, much more Packed with interactive exercises, insightful anecdotes from the author's own career, and invaluable lessons on building a personal negotiating style, this is your complete guide to bargaining and deal-making the right way—with intelligence.
Trump: The Art of the Deal
Author: Donald J. Trump
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0307575330
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 401
Book Description
President Donald J. Trump lays out his professional and personal worldview in this classic work—a firsthand account of the rise of America’s foremost deal-maker. “I like thinking big. I always have. To me it’s very simple: If you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big.”—Donald J. Trump Here is Trump in action—how he runs his organization and how he runs his life—as he meets the people he needs to meet, chats with family and friends, clashes with enemies, and challenges conventional thinking. But even a maverick plays by rules, and Trump has formulated time-tested guidelines for success. He isolates the common elements in his greatest accomplishments; he shatters myths; he names names, spells out the zeros, and fully reveals the deal-maker’s art. And throughout, Trump talks—really talks—about how he does it. Trump: The Art of the Deal is an unguarded look at the mind of a brilliant entrepreneur—the ultimate read for anyone interested in the man behind the spotlight. Praise for Trump: The Art of the Deal “Trump makes one believe for a moment in the American dream again.”—The New York Times “Donald Trump is a deal maker. He is a deal maker the way lions are carnivores and water is wet.”—Chicago Tribune “Fascinating . . . wholly absorbing . . . conveys Trump’s larger-than-life demeanor so vibrantly that the reader’s attention is instantly and fully claimed.”—Boston Herald “A chatty, generous, chutzpa-filled autobiography.”—New York Post
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0307575330
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 401
Book Description
President Donald J. Trump lays out his professional and personal worldview in this classic work—a firsthand account of the rise of America’s foremost deal-maker. “I like thinking big. I always have. To me it’s very simple: If you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big.”—Donald J. Trump Here is Trump in action—how he runs his organization and how he runs his life—as he meets the people he needs to meet, chats with family and friends, clashes with enemies, and challenges conventional thinking. But even a maverick plays by rules, and Trump has formulated time-tested guidelines for success. He isolates the common elements in his greatest accomplishments; he shatters myths; he names names, spells out the zeros, and fully reveals the deal-maker’s art. And throughout, Trump talks—really talks—about how he does it. Trump: The Art of the Deal is an unguarded look at the mind of a brilliant entrepreneur—the ultimate read for anyone interested in the man behind the spotlight. Praise for Trump: The Art of the Deal “Trump makes one believe for a moment in the American dream again.”—The New York Times “Donald Trump is a deal maker. He is a deal maker the way lions are carnivores and water is wet.”—Chicago Tribune “Fascinating . . . wholly absorbing . . . conveys Trump’s larger-than-life demeanor so vibrantly that the reader’s attention is instantly and fully claimed.”—Boston Herald “A chatty, generous, chutzpa-filled autobiography.”—New York Post
Beyond Winning
Author: Robert H. Mnookin
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674504100
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 369
Book Description
Conflict is inevitable, in both deals and disputes. Yet when clients call in the lawyers to haggle over who gets how much of the pie, traditional hard-bargaining tactics can lead to ruin. Too often, deals blow up, cases don’t settle, relationships fall apart, justice is delayed. Beyond Winning charts a way out of our current crisis of confidence in the legal system. It offers a fresh look at negotiation, aimed at helping lawyers turn disputes into deals, and deals into better deals, through practical, tough-minded problem-solving techniques. In this step-by-step guide to conflict resolution, the authors describe the many obstacles that can derail a legal negotiation, both behind the bargaining table with one’s own client and across the table with the other side. They offer clear, candid advice about ways lawyers can search for beneficial trades, enlarge the scope of interests, improve communication, minimize transaction costs, and leave both sides better off than before. But lawyers cannot do the job alone. People who hire lawyers must help change the game from conflict to collaboration. The entrepreneur structuring a joint venture, the plaintiff embroiled in a civil suit, the CEO negotiating an employment contract, the real estate developer concerned with environmental hazards, the parent considering a custody battle—clients who understand the pressures and incentives a lawyer faces can work more effectively within the legal system to promote their own best interests. Attorneys exhausted by the trench warfare of cases that drag on for years will find here a positive, proven approach to revitalizing their profession.
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674504100
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 369
Book Description
Conflict is inevitable, in both deals and disputes. Yet when clients call in the lawyers to haggle over who gets how much of the pie, traditional hard-bargaining tactics can lead to ruin. Too often, deals blow up, cases don’t settle, relationships fall apart, justice is delayed. Beyond Winning charts a way out of our current crisis of confidence in the legal system. It offers a fresh look at negotiation, aimed at helping lawyers turn disputes into deals, and deals into better deals, through practical, tough-minded problem-solving techniques. In this step-by-step guide to conflict resolution, the authors describe the many obstacles that can derail a legal negotiation, both behind the bargaining table with one’s own client and across the table with the other side. They offer clear, candid advice about ways lawyers can search for beneficial trades, enlarge the scope of interests, improve communication, minimize transaction costs, and leave both sides better off than before. But lawyers cannot do the job alone. People who hire lawyers must help change the game from conflict to collaboration. The entrepreneur structuring a joint venture, the plaintiff embroiled in a civil suit, the CEO negotiating an employment contract, the real estate developer concerned with environmental hazards, the parent considering a custody battle—clients who understand the pressures and incentives a lawyer faces can work more effectively within the legal system to promote their own best interests. Attorneys exhausted by the trench warfare of cases that drag on for years will find here a positive, proven approach to revitalizing their profession.
Negotiating for Success: Essential Strategies and Skills
Author: George J. Siedel
Publisher: Van Rye Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 0990367126
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 159
Book Description
We all negotiate on a daily basis. We negotiate with our spouses, children, parents, and friends. We negotiate when we rent an apartment, buy a car, purchase a house, and apply for a job. Your ability to negotiate might even be the most important factor in your career advancement. Negotiation is also the key to business success. No organization can survive without contracts that produce profits. At a strategic level, businesses are concerned with value creation and achieving competitive advantage. But the success of high-level business strategies depends on contracts made with suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders. Contracting capability—the ability to negotiate and perform successful contracts—is the most important function in any organization. This book is designed to help you achieve success in your personal negotiations and in your business transactions. The book is unique in two ways. First, the book not only covers negotiation concepts, but also provides practical actions you can take in future negotiations. This includes a Negotiation Planning Checklist and a completed example of the checklist for your use in future negotiations. The book also includes (1) a tool you can use to assess your negotiation style; (2) examples of “decision trees,” which are useful in calculating your alternatives if your negotiation is unsuccessful; (3) a three-part strategy for increasing your power during negotiations; (4) a practical plan for analyzing your negotiations based on your reservation price, stretch goal, most-likely target, and zone of potential agreement; (5) clear guidelines on ethical standards that apply to negotiations; (6) factors to consider when deciding whether you should negotiate through an agent; (7) psychological tools you can use in negotiations—and traps to avoid when the other side uses them; (8) key elements of contract law that arise during negotiations; and (9) a checklist of factors to use when you evaluate your performance as a negotiator. Second, the book is unique in its holistic approach to the negotiation process. Other books often focus narrowly either on negotiation or on contract law. Furthermore, the books on negotiation tend to focus on what happens at the bargaining table without addressing the performance of an agreement. These books make the mistaken assumption that success is determined by evaluating the negotiation rather than evaluating performance of the agreement. Similarly, the books on contract law tend to focus on the legal requirements for a contract to be valid, thus giving short shrift to the negotiation process that precedes the contract and to the performance that follows. In the real world, the contracting process is not divided into independent phases. What happens during a negotiation has a profound impact on the contract and on the performance that follows. The contract’s legal content should reflect the realities of what happened at the bargaining table and the performance that is to follow. This book, in contrast to others, covers the entire negotiation process in chronological order beginning with your decision to negotiate and continuing through the evaluation of your performance as a negotiator. A business executive in one of the negotiation seminars the author teaches as a University of Michigan professor summarized negotiation as follows: “Life is negotiation!” No one ever stated it better. As a mother with young children and as a company leader, the executive realized that negotiations are pervasive in our personal and business lives. With its emphasis on practical action, and with its chronological, holistic approach, this book provides a roadmap you can use when navigating through your life as a negotiator.
Publisher: Van Rye Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 0990367126
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 159
Book Description
We all negotiate on a daily basis. We negotiate with our spouses, children, parents, and friends. We negotiate when we rent an apartment, buy a car, purchase a house, and apply for a job. Your ability to negotiate might even be the most important factor in your career advancement. Negotiation is also the key to business success. No organization can survive without contracts that produce profits. At a strategic level, businesses are concerned with value creation and achieving competitive advantage. But the success of high-level business strategies depends on contracts made with suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders. Contracting capability—the ability to negotiate and perform successful contracts—is the most important function in any organization. This book is designed to help you achieve success in your personal negotiations and in your business transactions. The book is unique in two ways. First, the book not only covers negotiation concepts, but also provides practical actions you can take in future negotiations. This includes a Negotiation Planning Checklist and a completed example of the checklist for your use in future negotiations. The book also includes (1) a tool you can use to assess your negotiation style; (2) examples of “decision trees,” which are useful in calculating your alternatives if your negotiation is unsuccessful; (3) a three-part strategy for increasing your power during negotiations; (4) a practical plan for analyzing your negotiations based on your reservation price, stretch goal, most-likely target, and zone of potential agreement; (5) clear guidelines on ethical standards that apply to negotiations; (6) factors to consider when deciding whether you should negotiate through an agent; (7) psychological tools you can use in negotiations—and traps to avoid when the other side uses them; (8) key elements of contract law that arise during negotiations; and (9) a checklist of factors to use when you evaluate your performance as a negotiator. Second, the book is unique in its holistic approach to the negotiation process. Other books often focus narrowly either on negotiation or on contract law. Furthermore, the books on negotiation tend to focus on what happens at the bargaining table without addressing the performance of an agreement. These books make the mistaken assumption that success is determined by evaluating the negotiation rather than evaluating performance of the agreement. Similarly, the books on contract law tend to focus on the legal requirements for a contract to be valid, thus giving short shrift to the negotiation process that precedes the contract and to the performance that follows. In the real world, the contracting process is not divided into independent phases. What happens during a negotiation has a profound impact on the contract and on the performance that follows. The contract’s legal content should reflect the realities of what happened at the bargaining table and the performance that is to follow. This book, in contrast to others, covers the entire negotiation process in chronological order beginning with your decision to negotiate and continuing through the evaluation of your performance as a negotiator. A business executive in one of the negotiation seminars the author teaches as a University of Michigan professor summarized negotiation as follows: “Life is negotiation!” No one ever stated it better. As a mother with young children and as a company leader, the executive realized that negotiations are pervasive in our personal and business lives. With its emphasis on practical action, and with its chronological, holistic approach, this book provides a roadmap you can use when navigating through your life as a negotiator.