Negotiating from the Inside Out
Negotiating from the Inside Out, A Playbook for Business Success, by Clint Babcock, Sandler 2020
Negotiation is a practiced skill that can be broken down into clear steps and repeated - some wins, some losses, some draws - but always the result can be a little more learning. That's why this practical book is a great resource, something we can read, mark up, re-think and read again.
It's hard to win against a champion negotiator, but we can take a practical position that achieves specific goals if we use Babcock's rules. First, learn to recognize "The 7 Errors that Undermine Negotiations: -
1. Failure to Recognize a Strategic Negotiator
2. A Weak Pre-Negotiation Position
3. Making Unilateral Concessions
4. Talking Too Much
5. Losing Control of Your Emotions
6. Being Unprepared
"I believe," says author Babcock, "that the only way you're going to be able to apply these techniques under pressure is by practicing. Over the next few months, I would suggest that you look at most everything you buy as negotiable. Use one of the gambits, ask for a concession,, and then watch what the other person does. How do they react?" And then go from there.
Patricia E. Moody.
Fortune magazine "Pioneering Woman in Manufacturing," Industry Week IdeaXChange Xpert, patriciaemoody@gmail.com, LinkedIn, Twitter
Paw and Order, A Chet and Bernie Mystery, by Spencer Quinn, ATRIA BOOKS Simon and Schuster 2014
When Chet the Jet and Bernie of the Little Detective Agency roll, they do it in style in an aging Porsche, Chet in the shotgun seat, unless girlfriend Susie Sanchez is along, in which case the canine partner finds himself squeezed onto the bench at the back. Still, it’s a great life filled with smells, sounds, Slim Jims – aren’t you in heaven when you bite off a hefty chunk? – Or maybe swallow one whole? – that pungent stick of smoky flavors. Or how about steak tips and biscuits? Or a small sausage patty or two? Oops, got distracted there. But you know, when you’re a hyper-alert half of this human/canine detective duo, it’s the bonus treats that make the days go by better than ever.
Seems Chet and Bernie – Bernie’s the human half of this detective duo – live in California but when girl-friend Susie takes a job as a reporter for the Washington Post, they find themselves headed due northeast from a sojourn in Louisiana. And believe me, the smells of the Beltway are a different challenge for this multi-skilled pair. First, Susie lands herself in a classy townhouse rental on the property of an odd but stylish lady. Then a presidential candidate shows up in his tighty whiteys, and later some funny notes written in what Bernie identifies as Cyrillic show up in a crawlspace – ah, the smells of that dark moist cavern! – and then the Little Detective Agency finds itself well on the way to solving another big, scary murder involving international intrigue of the kind that only thrives in D.C. Could there be anything better than a good chase across a fragrant riverbank marked by the scents of all those familiar creatures – raccoon, snakes – although give me a dead one anytime, I can’t stand the creatures – field mice and maybe a dead catfish or two. And then the dip in the water, so delightful, hard not to just shake it all off all over, but don’t let me hear Bernie’s warning.
When author Spencer Quinn announced his newest in this seven-book Chet and Bernie mystery series narrated in the first person by, you guessed it, a border collie, I got in line for my Pre-order because this book is a summer treat! Maybe not as tasty as a well-aged Slim Jim, but just as refreshing and chewable, especially enjoyed in small bites to make it last. Read the other Chet books in sequence, you won’t want to miss the creation of this dynamic duo.
Mill Girl Verdict: One of THE delights of this summer.