Thursday, July 18, 2019

Never Split the Difference


Never Split the Difference
by Chris Voss

Finished a great “skills enhancement” book by Chris Voss called Never Split the Difference.  Voss, a former FBI hostage negotiator, takes the lessons he learned through his education and fifteen years on the job to teach the common reader how to enhance success when attempting to purchase a car, rent an apartment, deal with a difficult client or even a terrorist who wants to blow up an airplane.  Voss takes from real life situations, such as bank robberies and hostage situations, and teaches college students how they can improve the outcome.  The techniques are shared in detailed step-by-step instructions throughout each chapter.  As an added bonus, the appendix includes a negotiation “cheat-sheet” to create before your next negotiation.  Some of the basic concepts include: how to really listen (have at least 4 people listening to what is being said and look for opportunities where you might be able to negotiate); never say “NO”, instead rephrase with “thanks” and explain why that won’t work; don’t make it personal; use how and why questions; never settle for the middle; don’t use the word ‘fair’; introduce the term ‘that’s right’ into the conversation; and know before going into a financial conversation what your bottom line will be.  Voss is clearly very talented, and this basic and simple approach is well worth your time to read it.  I plan on getting a copy to keep close to me when I need to negotiate in the future.

No comments:

Post a Comment