Actionable, easy-to-understand negotiating strategies you can use to dramatically improve your business, career, and personal life

Negotiations can be a perplexing and often-intimidating endeavor. Are there aspects about the process that are hiding beneath the surface, unknown to even experienced negotiators? Or insider tools that would change your game considerably? The answer is yes—and they’re all revealed in this practical guide from a world-renowned negotiation expert.

Negotiation Essentials demystifies this all-important subject, helping you break the process down into easily digestible parts. It covers the most important negotiating concepts, including the critical differences among great, good, and bad negotiators; choosing when, where, and how to negotiate; the art of saying no; understanding body language; how emotions, stress, and personal chemistry affect decision making; and behavioral patterns of the most successful negotiators.

Negotiation Essentials is organized into three thematic sections:

PART I: THE ESSENTIALS explains how to identify a negotiation, how to know who is winning, the important role preparation plays, creating a winning negotiating strategy, and more.

PART II: THE ESSENTIALS APPLIED starts with an assessment to see which areas of negotiation you need to focus on, then teaches the 10 phrases in a successful negotiation, 5 different negotiation styles and how to use them, and so much more.

PART III: BEYOND THE ESSENTIALS, dives into negotiating across cultures, the roles that emotions, stress, personal chemistry, and trust play in negotiations, the difference between face-to-face and online negotiations, and secrets of the award-winning Negotiation Economics philosophy—opening the possibility of achieving up to 42% unrealized value.

Filled with essential takeaways wrapping up each chapter, assessments, illustrations, color illustrations, and clear action steps, Negotiation Essentials concludes with a Negotiating Essentials Toolkit, which includes the professional negotiators pre- and post-negotiation checklists.

Whether you’re discussing a possible promotion with a supervisor, speaking to a potential high-dollar client, or engaging in a merger and acquisition process, knowing how to plan and conduct a successful negotiation is what will spell the difference between success and failure.

Keld Jensen