In “Never Split the Difference,” Chris Voss, a former FBI hostage negotiator, shares his techniques for negotiating with anyone, from angry customers to hostile business partners. Voss argues that the key to successful negotiation is to understand the other person’s perspective and build a rapport with them.
He outlines nine steps for doing this, including establishing trust, managing expectations, and using empathy.
Voss’s techniques are based on the idea of “positive tension,” or the idea that two parties can work together to create a win-win situation. He stresses the importance of being able to walk away from a negotiation if it’s not going well and not letting emotions get in the way.
Some of the key points that Voss covers in the book are:
- The importance of understanding your counterpart’s motivations
- The use of empathy in negotiations
- The power of Rapport
- The use of silence in negotiations
- The use of “No” in negotiations
Overall, I thought that this was a very informative book on how to negotiate effectively. Voss has a lot of experience and knowledge to share, and he does a great job of explaining things in a way that is easy to understand and provides clear step-by-step instructions for building a positive relationship with the other person and reaching a mutually beneficial agreement.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their negotiating skills.