Customer Reviews

Getting to Yes : How to Negotiate Agreement Without Giving in (AUDIO CASSETTE)

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Authors Roger Fisher, William L. Ury and Bruce M. Patton offer a seminal step-by-step guide to negotiating effectively. The authors use anecdotal examples to illustrate both positive and negative negotiating techniques. They believe that, with principled negotiation, both parties can reach an agreement in an amicable and efficient manner. Principled negotiation is based on the belief that when each side comes to understand the interests of the other, they can jointly create options that are mutually advantageous, resulting in a wise settlement. Since this is the second edition, the authors take the opportunity to answer ten common questions from readers of the first edition. If you become skeptical about these fairly rosy negotiation techniques as you read, the Q and A section is very useful. This classic text is easy to understand and you can implement its techniques immediately. We can't ask for more than that.

I must confess I ordered and read this book because my new boss recommended it. Well, now that we have unpacked all the boxes from our move to take this job - I find we have about 5 copies of this book. This book is GREAT! This is not a new book but has been read by millions of people and is now a classic. The first edition came out in 1981 and the second edition 10 years later. The newest edition benefits from many updates and has an additional chapter (#10) with common questions (and answers) that people have commonly asked about Getting to Yes. This new chapter really helps the reader to understand the method better - in fact I can't imagine the book without it. One of the best things that authors Fisher, Ury and Patton do in this popular book do is give the reader a practical framework for developing better relationships that lead to better outcomes in life and work. The ideas are helpful in getting along with family as well as in the workplace. In many cases their methods will sound like things you already knew and have practiced in some of the more successful moments in your life. However, the book puts it all in perspective and gives you the complete picture to know why it works better when you focus on helping the other person get what they want so you can, too. After reading Getting to Yes you will be more prepared to negotiate more effectively in every type of situation. This book helped me decide I like the new boss, too!

It's amazing to me that this book was written over twenty years ago, but is still so relevant. Negotiation is a passion of mine, and I have read this book multiple times because the ideas presented in it are the basis for almost any book that has been written on negotiation since its publication. Plus, it is a quick read that almost anyone can understand.

This book revolutionized negotiation with its claim that you would be better off if the person that you were negotiating with also read this book. Rather than focusing on tricks and ways to manipulate the other side, it shows you how to set up a cooperative, win-win negotiation.

Such terms as win-win negotiation, cooperative problem solving, BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement), and negotiation jujitsu might sound trite because they are used so frequently in other negotiation texts. However, I'm willing to look past that since these terms originated here.

In multiple negotiations--big and small--I have used the process outlined in this book (1. "separate the people from the problem", 2. "focus on interests, not positions", 3. "invent options for mutual gain", 4. "insist on using objective criteria") to produce successful results.

Your ability to negotiate affects so many parts of your life (from how much money you make to how you resolve conflicts with your spouse) that it is worth investing in this book and in becoming a better negotiator.

While (because the book is a tad idealistic) I do not recommend making this the only book that you read on negotiation, I highly recommend it as one of the books to read. I'd also recommend checking out "Getting Past No" by Bill Ury, which is the follow-on to this and discusses how to handle situations in which the other side doesn't want to cooperate.

Getting to the Yes was a very good read, to say the least. The authors offer straight to the point, no nonsense advice on how negotiate more effectively. When one talks about negotiation, what comes to your mind? If you are buy something - do you make a superficially low offer, and then slowly add more and more until it reached the price you were originally ready to pay? If you are selling - do you start off by asking for an exceedingly high price, and then, through negotiation, slowly cut the price down to to show your goodwill? Have you ever wondered if you were selling too cheap / buying too expensive? Do you believe that negotiation is all about two parties stating their positions, and then trying to meet each other somewhere in the middle?

If you answered yes to one of those questions, this book is for you. Chances are, if you do this while negotiating, others also know the trick, and therefore, there is no clear advantage for either side, and the result may be mediocre for both at best. The author bring up an example of two children fighting for an orange. At the end, the orange is cut in half and each child gets half - only to realize that one child only wanted the peel for baking, and the other child only wanted the meat.

What the authors propose is a "principled" approach to negotiation, that is, the negotiators should always find out what the other party wants at their core (the principle behind their offer/demands) - because offers and proposals are merely expressions of deeper desires. In the example above, wanting the orange was merely a representation of what each child wanted, and had it been made clear, both would have gained much more. The underlying desires for a homeowner to ask for more money may be that he/she recently renovated the house - so they might see that as extra value that needs to be accounted for.

The beauty of this book, is that all this advice applies to almost every situations, not just buy/sell transactions. The authors confess that what they offer in common sense, but perhaps it is forgotten common sense. This is a very good books for anyone to read, not just negotiators.

This book was a requirement for my negotiations class but was a great read on its own. It's very insightful but I would suggest learning other strategies in addition to the one mentioned here. All in all, a great buy!

This book was required reading for my project management master's degree. I had a terrific time reading it and look forward to using it as a desk reference. Excellent job.

you don't have to be into negotiation to get the premise of this book. Its worth a read, as it's throughly entertaining

This book gives you the basics.... I thought I would have been left with more knowledge or another way to negotiate but the system is very simple and common sense, I do not see why this book is any more special than the others.

I had to read this book prior to a work training session on it. The problem was, I had very little time, plus I had better things to do like enjoy my well deserved Jamaican vacation. While on vacation, my husband, a successful business owner, decided the book that I had brought him (fiction) was not mind challenging enough that he spent the week reading this one. He gave me great feedback on it that when we got home, I spent the weekend reading it for myself. It is very well written and very pertinent to our everyday lives. It went hand in hand with my training session....I was very well prepared!

I found the book to be well written and the style quite reader friendly.
A rather relaxed learning process which was both comforting and enjoyable. A style technique that proved a new lesson for me. That too was an added benefit.
The subject matter is an education; and that's a statement.
I would recommend it as a very worthwhile introductory read to anyone approaching the subject matter for the first time.