Herb Cohen > Quotes

“You and I do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.”
― Herb Cohen

“No' is a reaction, not a position. The people who react negatively to your proposal simply need time to evaluate it and adjust their thinking. With the passage of sufficient time and repeated efforts on your part, almost every 'no' can be transformed into a 'maybe' and eventually a 'yes'.”
― Herb Cohen

“Most of us, in our civilized society, rely too heavily on reasoning capacity to make things happen. We've been raised to believe that logic will prevail. Logic, in and of itself, will rarely influence people. Most often logic doesn't work.”
― Herb Cohen

“The “winners” seem to be people who not only are competent, but also have the ability to “negotiate” their way to get what they want.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“To successfully interact with any individual in any setup, all you have to do is determine his or her needs, then fulfill them.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“Time. The other side doesn’t seem to be under the same kind of organizational pressure, time constraints, and restrictive deadlines you feel you’re under.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“There’s a way to break out of this bind: Don’t act as though your limited experience represents universal truths. It doesn’t. Force yourself to go outside your own experience by vigorously testing your assumptions.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“In every negotiation in which you’re involved—in every negotiation in which I’m involved—in fact, in every negotiation in the world (from a diplomatic geopolitical negotiation to the purchase of a home)—three crucial elements are always present:”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“Information. The other side seems to know more about you and your needs than you know about them and their needs.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“The secret of walking on water is knowing where the stones are.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“In short, you have more power if you believe you have power and view your life’s encounters as negotiations.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“Negotiation is a field of knowledge and endeavor that focuses on gaining the favor of people from whom we want things. It’s as simple as that.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“His response to any question is a counter-question.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“if you happen to be a boss, you never want an employee to do exactly what you tell him to do. You want him to occasionally do what you don’t tell him to do … often what you can’t tell him to do, because many problems can’t be anticipated.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“Note that the salesman never responds directly to any question that might give you information.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“If you ask, “I’m not saying I’ll buy this refrigerator, but if I do, when do you think you could deliver it?” he’ll say, “When would you like it delivered?” When you reply, “How about early this afternoon?” he’ll say, “Why so soon?” At that point one of you will comment, “Because we have about seventy dollars’ worth of food spoiling rapidly.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“What really corrupts is not power, but a sense of powerlessness.”
― Herb Cohen, Negotiate This!: By Caring, But Not T-H-A-T Much

“He knows you’re interested in the refrigerator. People may browse in the Sporting Goods, Clothing, or Stereo Departments at Sears, but not in the Large Appliances Department. They examine refrigerators when and because they need them.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“Your ability to negotiate determines whether you can or can’t influence your environment. It gives you a sense of mastery over your life.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“He says, “Good … I’ll write up the sales slip.” You interject, “No … wait—maybe we can talk.” He arches an eyebrow and says, “When you and your wife finish discussing this, you’ll find me in Hardware,” and strolls away.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“Does the salesman like this information? Yes, because you’ve exposed your deadline to him without knowing his.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“Information. What do you know about the salesman’s needs or the store’s needs? Is the salesman on salary, commission, or a combination of both? You don’t know.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“What’s the inventory situation on this model? Is it the store’s hottest item, currently on backorder, or is it a dog the store manager will dump at any price? You don’t know.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“I’d be perfectly frank with you and reply, “One of my life strategies is never to go into Sears.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“Never take a risk out of pride, impatience, or a desire to get it over with.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“Does he have a budget, a quota, or a deadline? You don’t know. Has he had a great month, or did his boss warn him to sell a refrigerator today “or else”? You don’t know.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“in every negotiation in the world (from a diplomatic geopolitical negotiation to the purchase of a home)—three crucial elements are always present: Information. The other side seems to know more about you and your needs than you know about them and their needs. Time. The other side doesn’t seem to be under the same kind of organizational pressure, time constraints, and restrictive deadlines you feel you’re under. Power. The other side always seems to have more power and authority than you think you have.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“all power is based on perception. If you think you’ve got it, then you’ve got it. If you think you don’t have it, even if you have it, then you don’t have it.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“Time. Compounding the expanding informational gap is the problem of organizational pressure and time. The salesman you’re dealing with seems relaxed. His organization isn’t visible.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation

“Power. The other side always seems to have more power and authority than you think you have.”
― Herb Cohen, You Can Negotiate Anything: The Groundbreaking Original Guide to Negotiation