We Have a Deal: How to Negotiate with Intelligence, Flexibility and Power

by Natalie Reynolds

Negotiation is the most important skill you can develop to get what you want in business and life. But we often struggle to do it effectively. We fail to recognize opportunities, we prepare poorly or we let ourselves be led by others or by our own fear.

Natalie Reynolds, negotiation expert and CEO of negotiation consultancy Advantage Spring, will teach you how to avoid these pitfalls, to keep cool and in control, and to achieve what you want, every time — whether you’re responsible for large deals at work or simply renegotiating your phone contract.

We Have a Deal goes beyond negotiation theory, exploring the unwritten rules of deal making and influencing. Not only will you master the practical skills of negotiating like a pro, you’ll also develop an appreciation of why it matters, and why others react the way they do in certain negotiating situations. From developing a flexible approach, to overcoming obstructive behavior and other obstacles, this book will help you to understand the underlying motivations and get the best out of every deal.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Psychology, Communication, Self Help, Audiobook

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 12, 2016

Reviews

[Sotiris Makrygiannis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technical book, the how, why and when is explained very well. One of the best books for negotiations and not that complicated nor pseudo-sophisticated. A excellent and mandatory reading could say.

[Shona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not overly focused on gender, I liked having a female perspective on negotiation (in contrast to male-run courses I have attended).

[Andres Marin · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are my top 10 takeaways:

1. Ask

Discounts are there to be had and factored into the list price, you just need to ask for them.

Fortune favors the bold.

2. Composure

Don’t let your counterparty see that you are delighted with the result. Nobody likes to be made to feel or look stupid.

If you make the negotiation too easy, the other side will start to question why.

3. Objections

View ‘no’ differently. Don’t see it as the end, see it as the beginning.

You can turn a no into a yes without a maybe in between.

4. Perspective

Humans hold grudges. They will remember how you made them feel and will try to get even.

Instead of celebrating your victory, try making them feel like they have won. Ensure that they are satisfied with the deal.

5. Explore

People generally value the things they had to work hard for.

Explore alternatives and craft a clever solution that works for everyone.

6. Word

Credibility is lost when you say that something is your final offer and you move from it.

Any figure that they tell you is their breakpoint, probably isn’t.

7. Reciprocity

If you do this for me, I can do this for you. Use the phrase ‘If you…, then I…’.

If you can help them achieve what they need, they will be far more likely to assist you in achieving what you need.

8. Others’ Shoes

Seeing things from the perspective of your counterparty is one of the most powerful ways to influence the outcome of your negotiation.

Always understand the other person’s perspective.

9. People

It’s a clever approach to have already planned several proposals before you get to the actual negotiation.

Awareness rather than assumption must be the key to effective preparation. Assumption is the enemy of amazing outcomes.

10. Empathy

Different people value and interpret things differently; your priorities might not be their priorities. Understand their issues, and they will feel far more valued and listened to.

The most important ingredient in the negotiation is the people.

[Cullen Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

December 2018 Read
How do you deliver tough news to a client, ask for a promotion, secure new investment for your growing business?

The answer, of course, is negotiation, one of the most important skills one can have in their personal arsenal. Negotiation expert, Natalie Reynolds, moves beyond the cliched and old rules of Alpha dealmaking to go deeper and explore why people react the way they do and how we can use it to our advantage.

Her five step DEALS method has helped individuals and organisations to excel at all forms of negotiation. They are as follows: -

D - Discover - Know everything you can about the deal; your motivations and others
E - Establish - A number of things before, priorities, boundaries and breakpoints
A - Ask - Try to go first, to avoid being overly influenced by the first proposal
L - Lead - Stay in control, be the driver and present in a calm and influential way
S - Seal - The future of the deal, make sure the other party feels satisfied

Reynolds book is not perfect, (it's not a one size fits all approach) however, it will help you overcome obstacles, develop intelligent and flexible approaches, work with different cultures and personalities and get the best deal, every-time (well, the best that you can).

[Antonio Margal · Rating 3 out of 5]

En un tono ligero se pueden extraer varias anotaciones y recomendaciones para integrar a tu propio método de negociación. La autora (que ha sido consejera para compañías globales y la ONU por medio de su firma http://www.advantagespring.com) recomienda como negociar sin tener que adoptar siempre un enfoque combativo. Cierra el libro con un enfoque de negociación y comparativas interesantes para mujeres y entre personas de diversas culturas brindando una perspectiva refrescante al tema. Pragmática y concisa presenta un destilado de estrategias y tácticas básicas para negociar.

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great organization and format to be kept and used as a reference book, and also an interesting read all the way through. While it’s not the main focus of the book, having a perspective from a women was helpful and relatable. Author is knowledgeable and credible in the subject area. This book is more to cover the ‘basics’ of negotiation, and probably best for people with less experience in it.

[V. Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly informative. A portion of it was overlapping information, but I work in sales, so that might have something to do with it. I recommend this book for anyone looking to get a leg up when negotiating; there's quite a lot to learn, and not a whole lot of repetition or beating around the bush.

[Robin Jose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading and pretty sensible book on the art of negotiation. Having ready multiple books on the topic, i found nothing that new or remarkable here. But it's a good read to reinforce the basics, and a great into if this is your first negotiation book.

[Tõnu Vahtra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so much new information here having read several other books related to negotiation topic (e.g. Cialdini's Power of Influence). Maybe just clarifying some aspects around negotiations (e.c. anchoring).

[Bogdan Păun · Rating 1 out of 5]

The kind of book that the author *had to* write probably to get some publicity and check "writing a book" on a ToDo list. I will summarize it in one phrase: "Prepare for negotiations, study the counterparty, both profesionally and personally, be ambitious and creative when negociating."

[Arun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good primer on negotiations for someone who is new to the table. Don't listen to the low reviews saying "heard it all before, nothing new, blah blah". If doing negotiations is something you have to do in your new career, this is a very good basic foundation to get them done right.

[Paul Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple, well organised approach to negotiation that works better in conjunction with the training from Advantage Spring.

[Cloupakis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information presented well

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Lukorito Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still unsure whether I'll be able to translate what I've learnt here to real life... All I can do is wait.

[Jackson]

DNF at page 113

[Nigel Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book, learned a lot from it. I liked how the author goes into the thought process of negotiation, how one would feel, how the person you are negotiating would feel. Things and feelings that you are guaranteed to encounter when negotiating. This author understands human psychology well.


Cool fact to walk away from this review:

Behind every transaction, everyone prefers a little tug and tustle. They could've gotten the best deal that you would give and would still be unhappy. Make them work for it, they'll walk away happier as their subconscious prefers a hard-earned victory.
I'd highly recommend this book to beginner-intermediate negotiators. Would definitely keep this on my shelf and read it time to time.

[Jerome · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is good at what it promises: it's detailed, and especially the beginning about "how negotiation is everywhere in life even when we don't realize it" was original and convincing. However, the big bad side is that it's promoting a cold and heartless egoistic search for one's own benefit, at the cost of the other party - while it would be more fair, better and human to search for both Win-Win in ANY situation (even for example if you won't meet the person again). But let's be fair with the author, it was expectable from the topic of the book itself.

[Tomasz Gola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read. A lot of practical tips and very easy to read