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Bargaining For Adavantage

The Big Idea

This book is a guide to better negotiation practice, not a substitute for it. It will show that while negotiation is not a rocket science, it is not simple intuition either. No matter who you are, your intuition will fail you in important bargaining situations. To improve, you need to shed your assumptions about the process and open yourself to new ideas. The approach to negotiation this book uses is called Information-Based Bargaining. This approach focuses on three main aspects of negotiation: solid planning and preparation before you start, careful listening so you can find out what the other side really wants, and attending to the “signals” the other party sends through his or her conduct once bargaining gets underway.

Part 1: The Six Foundations Of Effective Negotiation
Chapter One: The First Foundation: Your Bargaining Style

A Story
Two men entered a conference room in an office tower high above Lexington Avenue in New York City. On one side of the table sat Peter Jovanovich, the Chief Executive of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (HBJ), a company now on the edge of financial ruin. As the son of one of the firm’s founders, Jovanovich was deeply committed to preserving the family’s legacy. Across the table sat Dick Smith, the aggressive leader of General Cinema, a large conglomerate probing for a corporate foothold in the publishing business. Both sides have carefully prepared their “scripts” for the opening of the negotiation. Smith was to be a suitor and had planned a detailed presentation on General Cinema’s financial strength and reputation. Jovanovich’s team, was also very positive about the deal, and prepared Jovanovich for the role of “listener.” He would be interested but noncommital. He would not tip his hand or show his urgency.

On cue, Smith began his opening speech, but within seconds Jovanovich interrupted. The HBJ advisers stirred. This was not in the script. Jovanovich spoke and placed a small box on the table between him and Smith. “My father always gave a watch like this to his partners at the beginning of a new business relationship,” he said. “This is meant to signify my sincere belief that General Cinema is the right buyer of HBJ.” It was a risky admission, and both men knew it.

The anxiety in the room eased.

What is Negotiation?

A negotiation is an interactive communication process that may take place whenever we want something from someone else or another person wants something from us.

The Five Basic Bargaining Styles

Behind the bewildering array of personality differences, psychologists have isolated five basic negotiation personality types based on the way people prefer handling interpersonal conflict. The five types are, in descending order of aggressiveness: competitors, problem solvers, “compromisers,” “accommodators,” and conflict “avoiders.” No system of categorization is perfect, but this one is better than average because the potential for interpersonal conflict is what gives negotiation its characteristic “edge.”

Your Bargaining Styles

All negotiations begin with you. The first foundation of effective negotiation is your personal bargaining style — the way you communicate when you face a situation containing interpersonal conflict. Your success as an effective negotiator depends on candidly assessing your strengths and weaknesses as a communicator. . . . . .