You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen – Book Summary

Ready to learn the most important takeaways from You Can Negotiate Anything in less than two minutes? Keep reading!

Why This Book Matters:

In this #1 bestseller, Cohen teaches you the tactics and strategies you need to negotiate better outcomes in almost any aspect of your life.

Life is full of negotiations whether you realize it or not, and coming out ahead requires you to learn the art of negotiation.   

Key Takeaways:

1. Most everything in life can be negotiated, so learn to excel at negotiation
   1. If your intent is to affect someone’s behavior, then you’re negotiating.
   2. Example: Getting your kids to behave, getting a speeding ticket, qualifying for a mortgage, and purchasing a high priced item can all be negotiated.
2. A negotiation shouldn’t be a battleground
   1. Approach a negotiation with a realistic starting position and show a willingness to budge.
   2. Example: The USSR demonstrated “win at all costs” negotiation tactics when it tried to purchase land in Long Island worth $425,000 with an initial offer of $125,000, only to merely budge to $133,000 for its final offer.
3. Approach negotiations with a win-win perspective
   1. By understanding the underlying desires of all parties, you can focus on shared goals.
   2. Example: When debating proposed family vacation destinations, look for similar elements in each person’s pick to find common desires.
4. Learn about the many negotiating tactics at your disposal
   1. Analyze the situation you’re in from your point of view and your opponent’s to understand all the tools at your disposal.
   2. Example: Someone purchasing a refrigerator may be able to use the power of alternative options or the power of precedence (i.e. my brother got a discount so I should too).
5. Make it difficult for your opponent to say no
   1. The more invested you can get your opponent into the negotiation process, the more likely they are to make concessions for the sake of achieving results.
   2. Example: The salesperson you’ve spent two hours questioning will be more willing to give you a discount because they have invested their time.
6. Start the negotiating process before you get to the table by collecting information
   1. The more information you have about your opponent and the situation, the better.
   2. Example: Learning next year’s salary budget before you begin negotiating a raise with your boss will help you understand the constraints.
7. Consider how deadlines may influence your position and your opponent’s position
   1. Being forced to negotiate just before a deadline can be productive, but it can also be detrimental depending on who has the deadline.
   2. Example: The author negotiated a bad last-minute deal with his Japanese hosts after a two-week stay in the country because he did not want to go home empty-handed.
8. Try to get your opponent to identify with you on a personal level
   1. People are more willing to make concessions to people they like.
   2. Example: Many people are more willing to pay higher prices at stores that have personable sales associates than at cheaper stores with lousy customer service.

Want To Keep Reading?

1. Read A Longer Form Summary on Blinkist
2. Buy The Book on Amazon