Gates Steve - The Negotiation Book

“Steve's latest book provides an essential developmental tool for all our sales associates.”

“Everything happens in negotiation for a reason. This excellent book explains the negotiation process and how you can secure the best total value. A must-read if you are to be successful.”

“This is what I have been looking for. An intelligent and pragmatic guide to understanding and developing your negotiation skills in a dynamic and challenging world.”

“ The Negotiation Book with interesting updated real life examples. Steve and his team from Gap Partnership has over the last 10 years trained over hundreds of my company's executives and has helped to generate of millions of dollars of value. The Negotiation Book 's collaborative method of negotiation helps in gaining agreement that not only results in value for all parties involved but also enhances relationships. It emphasizes on the psychological and behavioral aspects of the negotiator, which is the one of the single most important factor in a successful negotiation. I hope that this book will inspire the readers to continually practice and train themselves to become a ‘complete skilled negotiator'. ”

“An unputdownable step-by-step guide to successful negotiations. Essential for business professionals, it offers universally acceptable ‘around the clock' negotiation methods supported heavily by easy-to-understand case studies. Very practical.”

“It just makes sense! If you fully absorb what Steve has to say, you should feel confident and fairly sure of the positive outcome of your negotiation before you even enter the room!”

“The concepts and framework presented within this book are invaluable in helping you prepare and execute your negotiation strategy. This negotiation ‘blueprint' will ensure that readers have every opportunity to secure long term sustainable agreements with their trade partners.”

This edition first published 2016

© 2016 Steve Gates

First edition published 2011 by John Wiley and Sons Ltd

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gates, Steve, author.

The negotiation book: your definitive guide to successful negotiating / Steve Gates. – Second edition.

pages cm

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-119-15546-1 (pbk.) 1. Negotiation in business.

2. Negotiation in business – Case studies. I. Title.

HD58.6.G38 2016

658.4′052 – dc23

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-119-15546-1 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-119-15551-5 (ebk)

ISBN 978-1-119-15552-2 (ebk)

Cover design: Wiley

Steve Gatesis founder and CEO of The Gap Partnership, the world's leading negotiation consultancy. Since 1997 Steve has consulted with and supported global corporations from all business sectors facing the challenge of optimizing value from their many and varied negotiations. His interest in commerce, capitalism, and psychology continues to inspire his innovative flair and passion for greater insights into the art and science of negotiation. His home remains in the UK.

I would like to thank an exceptional team of negotiators from across The Gap Partnership with whom I have shared so many experiences and drawn so much inspiration. They have committed their lives to pushing negotiation capability to a new level, which has allowed me to write this account of the Complete Skilled Negotiator – a philosophy based on the human challenges of negotiating today, which they have all helped build and which serves to inspire our clients around the world, every day.

I thought I would find you here. Curious? You should be. Negotiation is fundamental to your life and the way you distribute, create, protect, resolve, and manage anything of value. It is central to the viability of every business, for even non-profit-making organizations. It has delivered peace in war, resolved bedtime tantrums with our children, helped avoid millions of court cases, and has probably helped save a few marriages along the way too. It is how you resolve differences and form agreements based on mutually acceptable terms. It can represent the difference between viability and insolvency, profit making or loss, growth or decline; such is the power of the outcomes.

Great negotiators often go unnoticed. They are not interested in winning or glory. They have an attitude of mind that is focused on the hard work of building agreements and protecting this work through the necessary confidentiality that follows. However, great negotiators – and maybe you – recognize that the return on time invested is dramatic, perhaps in relationships, time saved, risk reduced, profit made, or even dilemmas resolved. No other skill offers so much value in return for competent performance.