Four Levers Negotiating: The Simple, Counterintuitive Way to Higher Deal Values and Lasting Trust

by Todd Caponi

A simple framework applicable in every common business-to-business sales scenario for building trust and leaving negotiating anxiety behind.

Have you ever felt like learning to negotiate requires a different personality than that required to sell?

Great salespeople foster relationships built on trust and a focus on customer outcomes. Yet, when the customer says “yes” and it’s time to negotiate, we change personalities. We hide things, focus on our own optimal outcomes, and in many cases, leverage strategies drawn from FBI hostage negotiation techniques.

There’s a better way. In Four Levers Negotiating, sales leader, award-winning author, and sought-after speaker Todd Caponi shows you how through a simple, immediately actionable framework for all the common sales scenarios you encounter—big deals and small.
Why traditional negotiating approaches are no longer sustainable The four levers to pull in any negotiation to make magic happen How to better position and propose your pricing Strategies for navigating common concession requests that arise in negotiations
In today’s “as-a-service” economy, where the deal itself is merely an early milestone on the path to acquiring customers who not only buy from you, but stay, buy more, and become your advocates, one-off, trust eroding approaches are no longer sustainable.

Four Levers Negotiating is your immediately actionable guide to building trust instead of eroding it, discounting less, forecasting more accurately, and, ultimately, leaving negotiating anxiety behind.

Genres: Business

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 27, 2026

Reviews

[Yaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four Levers Negotiating: The Simple, Counterintuitive Way to Higher Deal Values and Lasting Trust by Todd Caponi
Audiobook Narrated by Tom Parks
Publication date 1/27/2026

I wanted to try this book because everything is negotiating - it's engraved in human relations. Kids trade school lunches and ask for Christmas presents. Adults negotiate salaries and benefits. I love the game of Catan. I tend to avoid reading synopsis of the books before picking up books and I thought this book could help me with daily navigation of life. It didn't - because this book is not for that sort of negotiating. This book is specifically for price or contract negotiations. The author simplifies major key points to consider for negotiation ("four levers") and build his methodology around it. The first third of the book is pretty dry, then it becomes more useful when the author introduces some case studies where you could apply his methods. This includes some examples which I would face in my cooperate world. His method is not revolutionary or new but easy to remember and apply into real life. I think it would be very useful if you are new to sales/contract negotiations, or you dislike it and could use some pointers. The book becomes more and more interesting towards the end, and I actually liked the epilogue the best. The rest of the book really wasn't for me. My major gripe was that there was a first step in each of these negotiations which is not a part of Four Levers. Shouldn't it be Five Levers then?

Overall, I felt I wasn't a target audience for me, and I didn't learn anything new personally. I have worked in corporate America for many many years though. I would recommend it if you are someone who is new to contract/price negotiations (say, you are starting a new YouTube channel and doesn't know anything about how a business operate, or you are new sales person and needs to negotiate contracts)

An advanced copy of this audiobook was provided courtesy of NetGalley and Brilliance Audio. My opinions stated herein are my own.

[Joshua M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Todd Caponi’s Four Levers Negotiating is the game changing manifesto for every salesperson tired of the psychological warfare that comes after the “yes.” In a world where lasting customer value trumps the one time win, Caponi delivers a stunningly simple, profoundly counterintuitive framework that doesn’t just preserve trust, it builds it, deal by deal.

This isn't another manual on manipulation. It’s a liberating guide that aligns your negotiation persona with your sales ethos. By focusing on just four powerful levers, Caponi provides an immediately actionable path to higher deal values, more accurate forecasts, and most importantly, relationships that endure long after the contract is signed.

If you’ve ever felt a pang of anxiety when negotiations begin, or believed you needed a different personality to win at the table, this book is your answer. It dismantles outdated, adversarial playbooks and replaces them with a sustainable, confidence building strategy for the modern economy.

Caponi hasn’t just written a sales book; he’s engineered a trust engine. This is the #1 New Release for a reason: it works.

[Calvin Imani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t expect a negotiation book to feel this grounded. What stood out to me most was how Todd frames negotiation as a continuation of the sales relationship, not a switch into battle mode. The Four Levers are simple, but the way he explains them makes you rethink every conversation you’ve had about price. The section on “Timing of Cash” hit me hardest. I never realized how often I accidentally trained buyers to slow things down just because I agreed to small payment-term changes. The story about paying for future years upfront made the whole idea click for me. I tried the same logic with a client, and it changed the tone instantly, they understood why timing mattered instead of fighting me over it.

This book feels like someone finally saying the quiet part out loud: negotiation isn’t a trick. It’s a structure. And if you explain the structure honestly, buyers relax. I wish more books were written this way.

[Goodnews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a lot of negotiation books, and most of them treat the buyer like someone you need to “outsmart.” This one does the opposite. It shows that transparency, when done right, actually gives you more control. The chapter on “Positioning Your Price” was eye-opening. I used to avoid talking about price early because I thought it protected me. Instead, I was creating sticker shock. Sharing the price range and explaining the levers up front made my last deal smoother from start to finish.

The book’s strength is how it blends old-school sales wisdom with the realities of today’s transparent world, where buyers compare notes, share pricing, and move around. Todd emphasizes that consistency matters because your buyers talk. I’ve already cleaned up sloppy habits that I didn’t even realize signaled inconsistency. If you’re tired of feeling gross during negotiations, this book gives you a way out.

[Ms Shugaarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I liked most is how the book strips negotiation down to the things every business truly cares about: volume, timing of cash, length of commitment, and timing of the deal. Nothing mystical. Nothing manipulative. Just basic trade-offs explained clearly, with examples that feel real. The Houston story grabbed my attention. I’ve been in those rooms, feeling like the least prepared person at the table. Watching Todd explain the levers on a whiteboard without games or pressure made me rethink the “default tension” we bring into pricing conversations. The idea of “paying in the form of a discount” finally gave me a language for concessions that doesn’t feel like begging or caving in.

You can tell the author has been through years of messy deals. He writes with patience, not ego. This book moved negotiation from something I dreaded to something I can guide with confidence.

[Ceecee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is basically the antidote to the toxic discount-culture a lot of sales teams create without realizing it. I used to offer small discounts because I thought I was being helpful. After reading the $20-under-a-rock analogy, I finally saw what I was doing: triggering buyers to hunt for more. The part about ditching “fake expiring discounts” was uncomfortable because I’ve used that tactic for years. And Todd is right. It doesn’t speed things up. It tells the buyer to wait. I’ve already adjusted how I set expectations about timelines, and my conversations feel cleaner.

My favorite thing is how practical it is. The book doesn’t drown you in theory. The Four Levers actually show up in real situations you face every week. This is the first negotiation framework I’ve seen that feels honest, predictable, and easy enough to apply the same day you read it.

[Slimsyy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most practical business books I’ve read. The Four Levers framework made negotiation feel logical instead of stressful. I used the “mutual alignment on timing” idea with a prospect last week, and they opened up about their internal process in a way I’ve never seen before. It’s amazing what happens when you explain the “why” behind your terms.

[Sam Log · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book made something complicated feel simple. The story about giving discounts too easily hit me hard because I’ve done that so many times. Using the levers helped me stop giving away things for free. Now every concession has a clear trade-off. It just feels healthier.

[Alex Redey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how human the book felt. No pressure tricks, no manipulation. The example of paying for future years upfront showed me how flexible deals can be when you think in levers instead of flat discounts. It’s a method that builds trust instead of tension.