The Negotiation Handbook

By Patrick J. Cleary

Book Overview

Whether you're involved in a labor-management dispute or a landlord-tenant disagreement, considering a major purchase or overseeing a large commercial transaction, there are elements that are common... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765607212
• ISBN13: 9780765607218
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 194 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

"The Prize": Achieving Mutually Beneficial Objectives

Cleary explains: "This book was written for negotiators, but the observations come from the mediator's standpoint." In his Introduction, he goes on to suggest that "As a mediator, one has the ability to peek at both sides' cards, as it were. As a result, it is easier to see from the end result whether each side maximized (or minimized) its gain in the negotiation. In almost every case, one party -- or both parties -- failed to gain everything they could have gained from negotiation because they lost sight of the prize somewhere along the way." The basic assumption of this book is that the terms and conditions of almost any transaction are negotiable. For example, obtaining a lower or higher purchase price of an item (e.g. consumer electronics, clothing, and real estate) or a service (e.g. a fee charged by an attorney, accountant, or -- yes -- management consultant). The same is true of negotiations involving a promotion, salary increase, labor contract, or a proposed budget. Also, renting a car or obtaining a hotel room.Cleary's objective is to prepare his reader to gain everything possible from each and every negotiation through the effective use of one or more strategies, each of which Cleary explains. He reminds his reader that the parties involved in any negotiation are in it together. "They are your adversary only to the extent that they disagree with you on some details, on the shape of the deal. In the larger sense, the bigger picture, they're your counterpart, your partner. It will take both sides to get the deal. Don't lose sight of that along the way." Nor of the aforementioned "prize": your ultimate objective(s).Cleary organizes his material within six chapters: "The Dynamics of Negotiation" (i.e. power, leverage, ego, saving face, being right, and "drain the swamp"); "Preparing for the Negotiation" (i.e. facts, principles, and priorities); [NOTE: In The Art of War, Sun Tzu asserts that every battle is won or lost before it is fought.] "The Basics of Conflict Resolution" (i.e. set the tone, find the common ground, repeat back/empathize, and "Don't let your counterpart monopolize the spotlight or the microphone"); "The Negotiation" (Cleary stresses sixteen points such as "Be aware of the signals you project" with body language and tone of voice but also "Be aware of what's going on away from the table"); "Rules" (Cleary suggests 12 such as "Negotiations are 50% psychology and 50% sales"); and "Mediators: Lessons and Observations" (Cleary provides eight guidelines for mediators such as "Project neutrality in all you [say and] do" and "Create the atmosphere for an agreement"). Among all the excellent books on negotiation now available, this is one of the best. I highly recommend it to anyone in need of skills to maximize whatever can be gained from a negotiation (whatever its nature and circumstance may be) without losing sight of the "prize" somewhere along the way.

Don't Negotiate To Buy This Book -- JUST BUY IT!

Although it appears pricey at first blush (it's classified as a trade book) Patrick J. Cleary's "Negotiation Handbook" is worth every penny, and then some. Don't let the price or the trade book classification fool you. This is an indispensable guide for ANYONE on how to successfully negotiate ANYTHING, be it a major trade agreement with American Airlines, the selling off of your so-hot-(or not!)-dot-com company, the purchasing of a car, the securing of the top salary as a new hire or getting a deal on a pair of New Balance jungle mocs. I deal with people every day. I hate negotiating. I want people to like me. I don't want to be taken advantage of. I either don't want to make waves, or I get so angry at feeling pushed around I can go nuclear -- perhaps inappropriately and/or with zero worthwhile results. Sound familiar?I always thought successful negotiation was for cigar-chomping guys in shirt sleeves, or for people with a truckload of gall. Cleary's book opened my eyes to a very practical way of getting what you want and need without the cigar, the shirt sleeves or the gall. Other books on negotiation are so dense with dry theory e.g.: "the psychology of nurturing and succoring" (huh?) or they're so flip with on-the-nose hogwash, such as "Get the most that you can" (duh!) or so ripe with New Age touchy-feely bologna (Zzzz) that you'd be better off taking your chances on your own. As Cleary points out, EVERYTHING we do in life is some form of negotiation. All human interaction involves a "social contract." Cleary's book is not theory; it's not a pitch on the M.O. of the snakeoil salesman. Cleary's Negotiation Handbook is an exceedingly practical, down to earth, workaday manual on how to successfully negotiate this sea of life, be it while at work, getting to or fro, at home or traveling on vacation. It even operates on an elemental level in dealing with those nearest and dearest to us in our lives. While the publishers no doubt recognize they have a winner on their hands, I wonder if they realize that what the "One Minute Manager" did for management, this book goes beyond in helping the average (or not so average) person in dealing with the day-to-day rigors of working and playing in our complex contemporary society. I work in the film business where negotiation rules the day. Cleary's book should be required reading. But, it also should be on the reading lists of every business school, law school, government class, industrial relations course, psychology class ... where should we stop? When are we NOT negotiating? Buy the book; you'll get back more than you ever bargained for.

By reading this book, I got my new glasses for free.

When it comes to books of this type, I have found most of them to be either very dry, or to be so mystical sounding that they make me want to head out to the mountains of Tibet and meditate, but Mr. Cleary's has definitely made negotiation extremely accessible.While most of his negotiation experience has been in the upper limits of management and labor, after all he is a former Chairman of the National Mediation Board, as the cover of his book tells us, he has written a book that takes his expeience and shows how we can use it in everyday life.Case in point. I recently bought a new pair of glasses. I'm not going to tell you where I bought them from, but in picking them up, the optician and I noticed that one of the lenses had a chip in it. All I asked, as Mr. Cleary suggests in his book, was, "What are you going to do for me?" In other words, how are they going to handle this problem with the chipped lens. I never asked for any money off. I never demanded to see the manager. I did not threaten to take my business elsewhere, I just asked a very simple eight word question, "What are you going to do for me?"To make a long story short, they discounted my chipped lens, gave me a free lens cleaning kit, threw in a further coupon discount arranging it so that my glasses' frames were free and all I ended up paying for were my lenses, thus saving me lots of money on my new glasses.And by the way, when I got home and figured out what I saved, my discounts also ended up paying for Mr. Cleary's book.

Dry material made exciting

On a subject matter that would alomost certainly be somewhat boring, the author has made this a CAN'T PUT IT DOWN novel. It is filled with real life examples that everyone can relate too. I found myself compelled to keep reading to find out what the outcome would be in each example. This book is filled with hundred's of little story's that are always insightfull. The author must have a great sense of humor, on every page you are left with a little smirk on your face, and a lesson in your heart.

The Negotiation Handbook

A must read for all individuals getting involved with the collective bargaining process. Patrick's insights into what "really" goes on in the bargaining process paints a great picture. His use of examples brings back many memories of lessons learned the hard way! I've already used some of his strategy with great results. The contents are applicable in all forms of negotiations.