Never Make the First Offer: (Except When You Should) Wisdom from a Master Dealmaker

by Donald Dell and John Boswell

Book Overview

As one of the first agents to represent athletes, Donald Dell has been negotiating mega-deals for almost 40 years on behalf of stars like Arthur Ashe, Michael Jordan, Jimmy Connors and Stan Smith. Now Dell shares behind-the-scenes stories of his dealings with some of the most powerful sports owners and executives. He brings the inner workings of the negotiating room to life and offers lessons that readers can apply to their own situations.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591842654
• ISBN13: 9781591842651
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Portfolio
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Must Read for Any Negotiator

Whether you are an attorney, sales person, or just looking to get the best in a deal, Dell does an amazing job outlining his pointers on how to do so. The author uses several short and to-the-point chapters to outline recommendations that are not far-fetched theories. Rather, these are actual concepts that you can put to work right away in any negotiation. Also, the book serves as a bit of a biography about Dell, whom no doubt revolutionized the sports agent industry. At times the stories do get a bit overwhelming to the point of almost being gloating. Nonetheless, there is always something to take away from each of them. The book is also supplemented with "guest" columns in each chapter from industry leaders. These columns are a great perspective on how others implement Dell's proven techniques in their lives. Great read and would recommend!

Must read for those in sports marketing

A book of this nature can only be written during the back nine of someones career. Dell provides some great insight into the behind the scenes negotiations that he has been involved in over the years. The stories that he provides are the true example - everything is a negotiation and at the same time so little of it is negotiation and so much of it is about relationship. I found it to be an excellent read and anyone who is interested in being in the sports business certainly should take the time to read it.

GREAT business book!

I enjoy reading business books and found this to be EXCELLENT! The combination of sales lessons sprinkled with interesting stories made this a great read.

Priceless Negotiations Guidance From a Master Deal-Maker

NEVER MAKE THE FIRST OFFER is an excellent book filled with a variety of sophisticated negotiating tips from a master deal-maker. As a practicing lawyer frequently involved in complex business negotiations, such guidance is priceless. It is also an interesting read chock full of anecdotes from Mr. Dell's lengthy career representing notable tennis stars (Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, Andy Roddick among many others), basketball players (Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Joaquim Noah, and a wide range of other notable figures (Sargent Shriver, Fred Smith of FedEx, Ted Leonsis of AOL, and Dan Snyder of the Washington Redskins). I recommend this book highly.

Starts slowly. Finishes fast.

When I began to read this book I was somewhat disappointed. It seemed like a series of short bragging pieces; in essence just a good-ol'-boy puffery item. But I humg in and the short pieces developed a pattern of solid information about the variety of negotiating techniques, problems, and fixes. And even some failures which lent credibility to the author. The net is that I am well impressed and I am going to send a copy to each of my grown sons who are not active in the sports world but can well benefit from the insights in this book. In fact, most any one can benefit if only from getting a better leg up on how to negotiate a raise or the purchase of a new car.