Introduction

Negotiation is challenging, complex, and exciting, and requires a mixture of knowledge, skills, experience, and intuition. Each negotiation is unique and there is no single technique for improving your success. Thus, to be a successful negotiator, you should use a mixture of moves and countermoves, driven by the nature of the specific negotiating situation. This book describes various practices and techniques that can help to make you a more successful negotiator in every situation you face.

Negotiating distills negotiation theory and practice to give you practical advice on how to become a successful negotiator. It addresses questions such as: “Should I make the first offer?”, “How should I present and respond to offers?”, “How can I obtain concessions from my counterpart?”, and “How can I make concessions effectively?” It helps you understand and put into practice ways to analyze your and your counterpart’s power, and to increase your negotiating power by building winning coalitions.

However, negotiating successfully goes beyond mastering tactics and strategies. It is also about having the right attitude and mindset, such as being diligent in your preparation and planning; being resilient in the face of multiple challenges; being creative by inventing mutually beneficial options; and being ready to walk away from poor deals. By mastering these negotiating tactics and strategies, and by developing the right attitude and mindset, you will achieve superior results.