Never Split the Difference

Book Review by Sanchit Tayal

"Life is a series of negotiations you should be prepared for: bargaining with a shopkeeper; negotiating a pay hike; finalizing a trip; renegotiating rent; deliberating with your partner. Being a mirror, label your emotions and trigger the two words that transform any negotiations, Never Split the Difference by Christopher Voss and Tahl Raz aims to give you the competitive edge in any discussion."

We procrastinate about everything going our way and we winning all the hidden and uncalled negotiations in life, but does it happen? No, it doesn't. This book doesn't promise you to always be on the happy side, but it certainly guarantees you a headstart, a prepared mind to handle these problems.

---

This 370-odd page book is highly recommended and following are some of the highlighted negotiation techniques that this book offers:

1. THE ART OF MIRRORING!

Mirroring is repeating what someone just said which not only creates more reception from the other side, it tends to create a situation where you end up giving the least possible information from your side but grasp in all the knowledge from the other end. Mirroring doesn't literally mean that you end up repeating the complete sentence but only a part of it. Finding that appropriate part makes it challenging and a hard art to master.

2. DON'T FEEL THEIR PAIN, LABEL IT!

Labels are just verbal observations. The first step is you simply being aware of the emotion or the dynamic from the other side. It is important to know what your gut instinct is picking up at that point. The second step is to simply label it. That starts out with it seems like, it sounds like, it looks like, it feels like. Those are the first few words of a label, and then just fill in the blank.

If you feel that the other person is angry, note that and mark it as your label and take the conversation forward by keeping that in mind.

3. BEWARE "YES"---MASTER "NO"!

Don't say or commit to anything till it isn't a certainty. It must always be a YES for something that is inevitable. The important point here is, if not yes, then what, NO? No. Master the art of not saying NO and diverging the questions by either cross-questioning or shifting the conversation to a topic which you are certain with.

4. CREATE THE ILLUSION OF CONTROL

Calibrated questions have the power to educate the other party on what the problem is rather than causing conflict by telling them what the problem is.

Some of such questions are:

• What about this is important to you?

• How can I help make this better for us?

• How would you like me to proceed?

• How can we solve this problem?

5. BARGAIN HARD

When the going gets tough, you need to shake things up and get the other party out of their rigid mindset. Using the word “I” is also great at preventing confrontation. For instance, if you were to say, “I’m sorry that doesn’t work for me,” the word “I” brings the other party’s attention back on to you.

Remember the Ackerman model while negotiating.

• Set your target price

• Convey your first offer at 65 percent of your target price.

• Calculate three raises of decreasing increments (to 85, 95, and 100 percent).

• Use lots of empathy and different ways of saying “No” to get the other side to counter before you increase your offer.

• When calculating the final amount, use precise, non-round numbers like, say, $37,893 rather than $38,000. It gives the number credibility and weight.

• On your final number, throw in a non-monetary item (that they probably don’t want) to show you’re at your limit.

In conclusion, the book makes the reader understand that in order to win the battle of any negotiation in your life, it is important to prepare your mind accordingly. The knowledge offered by this book is not only relevant but also explained in great depth with detailed examples.

Rating: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟