Negotiating With Tough Customers

A guide to holding your ground with hardball negotiators, from a “talented advisor with a rare ability for connecting people with ideas” (Patrick Lencioni, bestselling author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team). Negotiation is the middle ground between capitulation and stonewalling—a back-and-forth between two parties trying to reach agreement. If a price or other term is non-negotiable, there is no give and take, just “take it or leave it.” You may think you are negotiating, but if the other side isn’t playing, you aren’t either. Regardless of the industry, situation, or product, the two most common mistakes negotiators make are: 1) they give ground too easily, and 2) they get nothing in return. When dealing with tough customers, it is even more important to be able to defend your position and bargain for reciprocal concessions. Negotiating with Tough Customers provides proven methods for holding your ground against (seemingly) more powerful negotiators. But it goes further, making sure that when you do give ground, you get equal or better value in return. Using a cooperative, collaborative approach in a hardball negotiation just doesn’t work. Tough negotiators will play win-win, but only if they have nothing to lose. Negotiating With Tough Customers will make you a better salesperson by making you a better negotiator . . . and vice versa.

Praise for How to Deal with Difficult Customers "The application of the ten key strategies in this book will help every sales professional learn how to deal with the truly difficult and how to avoid creating unnecessary difficulties. It's written with the same wit, humor, and inspiration that have made Anderson's prior books so effective." --Margaret Callihan, President, Chairman, and CEO, SunTrust Bank, Florida "Anderson knocks another one out of the park with How to Deal with Difficult Customers! The problem is real; Anderson's solutions make sense and, as always, he makes you laugh in the process." --Mike Roscoe, Editor in Chief, Dealer Magazine "I could not put this book down. It's a salesperson's bible, offering clear and concise how-to advice. If you're in the selling profession and want to sell more, you should read this book . . . twice." --Warren Lada, Senior Vice President, Saga Communications "An individual executing the ideas within this book will change their own life and their organization. No one has the gift like Anderson to articulate the importance character plays in maximizing potential." --Mike Tomberlin, CEO, The Tomberlin Group "Throw out all your other sales manuals. Anderson's new book will change the way you look at customers, the way your salespeople look at themselves, and, quite frankly, the way you look at the sales process." --Dan Janal, President, PRleads.com "What are you waiting for? We all have difficult customers. If you're tired of leaving money on the table because you can't handle them, read this book. If your good customers are turning into difficult customers, read this book. If you want to deliver results year-in and year-out, read, re-read, and apply the lessons of this book." --Randy Pennington, author, Results Rule!

We all want to get to yes, but what happens when the other person keeps saying no? How can you negotiate successfully with a stubborn boss, an irate customer, or a deceitful coworker? In Getting Past No, William Ury of Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation offers a proven breakthrough strategy for turning adversaries into negotiating partners. You’ll learn how to: • Stay in control under pressure • Defuse anger and hostility • Find out what the other side really wants • Counter dirty tricks • Use power to bring the other side back to the table • Reach agreements that satisfies both sides' needs Getting Past No is the state-of-the-art book on negotiation for the twenty-first century. It will help you deal with tough times, tough people, and tough negotiations. You don’t have to get mad or get even. Instead, you can get what you want!

Describes a method of negotiation that isolates problems, focuses on interests, creates new options, and uses objective criteria to help two parties reach an agreement.

Everyone has felt bullied at some point in their lives, whether by a family member, childhood acquaintance, colleague, boss, or client. You know you have been bullied when you feel pressured, demeaned, and angered. You walked away from a negotiation feeling like you lost ground. You gave into demands and agreed to something that was not in your best interests. And you resented the way you felt. Negotiating with a Bully will teach you how to skillfully deal with bullies in different forms and environments. You’ll explore the mindset of a bully and understand the motivations and behavior so that you can gain an advantage over him or her. Negotiating with a Bully will give you the answers you need to become a more effective negotiator when you are confronted by a bully. You will learn how to quickly and easily: Recognize the tactics of a bully—before you yield ground in a negotiation. Employ an arsenal of negotiation strategies, including some you may have never considered using before. Plan a negotiation with a bully so that you feel prepared to tackle the situation. Interpret the body language of the bully—and his or her target—to better assess his or her intentions.

From two leaders in executive education at Harvard Business School, here are the mental habits and proven strategies you need to achieve outstanding results in any negotiation. Whether you’ve “seen it all” or are just starting out, Negotiation Genius will dramatically improve your negotiating skills and confidence. Drawing on decades of behavioral research plus the experience of thousands of business clients, the authors take the mystery out of preparing for and executing negotiations—whether they involve multimillion-dollar deals or improving your next salary offer. What sets negotiation geniuses apart? They are the men and women who know how to: •Identify negotiation opportunities where others see no room for discussion •Discover the truth even when the other side wants to conceal it •Negotiate successfully from a position of weakness •Defuse threats, ultimatums, lies, and other hardball tactics •Overcome resistance and “sell” proposals using proven influence tactics •Negotiate ethically and create trusting relationships—along with great deals •Recognize when the best move is to walk away •And much, much more This book gets “down and dirty.” It gives you detailed strategies—including talking points—that work in the real world even when the other side is hostile, unethical, or more powerful. When you finish it, you will already have an action plan for your next negotiation. You will know what to do and why. You will also begin building your own reputation as a negotiation genius.