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Good for You, Great for Me
Book

Good for You, Great for Me

Finding the Trading Zone and Winning at Win-Win Negotiation

Public Affairs, 2014 更多详情

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Even when negotiating a win-win deal, you can still win bigger than the other party. Negotiation expert and MIT professor Lawrence Susskind says that the point of win-win negotiation is not to divide value equally, but to increase value for everyone. If you generate new value for everyone – say, by devising creative financing options or offering an attractive partnering opportunity – you should claim the lion’s share for yourself. Susskind outlines strategies for increasing value in negotiations with clients, competitors, regulators or your own staff. Each section is clear and to the point, with practical ideas well illustrated with examples. But the book suffers a bit from confusing organization; Susskind tends to switch from topic to topic like an iPod in shuffle mode. If you can live without linearity, you’ll find a rich selection of tactics and strategies for your next parley. getAbstract recommends that negotiators at companies of any size or kind study this handbook with care and embrace Susskind’s lessons – before the other side does.

Summary

Something for Everyone

The win-win concept of negotiation, which emerged in the 1980s, was an improvement over the traditional zero-sum model. But negotiators deploying it sometimes feel uncomfortable about pressing too aggressively to come out ahead in a deal. Uneasy negotiators misinterpret the concept: A mutually beneficial agreement needn’t benefit everyone equally.

You can win more in a win-win negotiation without damaging your business relationships – and without feeling guilty. Make sure you focus your efforts on increasing the overall value of the deal. When you enlarge the pie, everyone gets more – even if you go home with the biggest piece.

Go in Prepared

Successful negotiation demands preparation. You and your “back table” – the people to whom you report – must establish your “best alternative to a negotiated agreement” (BATNA). Agree to a deal only if it is better than your BATNA. Determine and rank your interests – those issues, besides price, that make a deal more or less attractive, like payment due dates or credit options.

Consider the deal from the other side’s perspective. Make a preliminary assessment of its BATNA and interests...

About the Author

MIT professor Lawrence Susskind founded the Consensus Building Institute mediation firm and co-founded the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.


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