Getting More Out Of Life: Buying Getting More: How You Can Negotiate to Succeed in Work and Life was an easy choice. When you read that Google used it to train 30,000 employees, you gotta figure it’s got something going for it. I’m always on the lookout for helpful books and negotiation was definitely not my strong point.
It Works – Getting More Out Of Life
First off, I want to say I learned specific strategies that keep helping me in business, with my family and just in everyday interactions. They give me confidence to negotiate, which before reading the book I would try to duck.
The author, Stuart Diamond, sets out how to deal with people so you get more, just like the title says. The key point is giving value and importance to the emotions and perceptions of the other person in the negotiation. It works wonders and is far more effective than trying logic or acting powerful.
The Author – Getting More Out Of Life
Diamond is a professor at the prestigious Wharton School of Business. He’s taught the popular class that is the foundation of this book for more than 13 years. According to a couple of reviewers on Amazon, people who actually went to Wharton, it is extremely difficult to get into the class. Everyone wants to take it.
Diamond has impressive credentials. He’s so well educated and successful that he’s actually intimidating. He was a reporter at the New York Times, where he won a Pulitzer. He is an attorney, graduating from Harvard Law. He has an MBA from Wharton. He has acted as a consultant for the United Nations and served as an executive in companies in fields as diverse as energy, medical services, agriculture, aviation and technology.
The book sums up what he’s learned about dealing with people effectively over the last 20 years. It also reflects research that involved more than 30,000 people in 45 countries.
The takeaway here is this guy is smart and successful. Way beyond your average overachiever. He can get his message across uber-effectively.
What Other People Are Saying – Getting More Out Of Life
The book made the New York Times bestseller list and was Number 1 on the Wall Street Journal business bestseller list. Their website chose it as the top book everyone needs for career advice and effectiveness on the job.
Words like “brilliant” and “phenomenal” are getting bandied about when people write about it. The head of business development for Microsoft Games said it was the best investment for his team.
The system of negotiation outlined in the book helped bring a happy, and quick, ending, to the writer’s strike in Hollywood in 2008. Going for broke, one investment consultant said the book could change the world.
The number of quotes from famous and power people praising the book to the skies just goes on and on.
So you get the idea this is a extremely successful and well respected book.
What I’m Saying- Getting More Out Of Life
I got a great deal out of the book. The negotiation skills work with my toddler and my sister’s teen. That’s effective. It’s given me confidence and the right mindset when I’ve taken products back to the store because they were defective (whole chicken that smelled funny) or I just decided I didn’t want (Kindle).
This is a business site, so you probably want to know if the skills worked in a work setting. The answer is yes. Just two examples: I got an outsourcer, a designer, to redo a logo. There was no frustration or harsh words, he was fine with it. I got a reduction in the price of my internet for six months, which I thought was fair and put it more in line with other providers.
The big thing the book gave me was confidence. I hate uncomfortable encounters. Returning things, asking for a deal—that does not come naturally to me. Reading this book, I learned the right mindset, how to hone in on the emotions of the person I am talking to, and to make use of that information to negotiate to my advantage.
One thing about the reviews on Amazon that kind of put me off was how some people were using the skills to negotiate prices way, way down or how to get freebie after freebie with extended negotiation. I’m a small business person and I don’t like that. It seems a bit shady to me, unethical. So I want to let you know that these skills aren’t of themselves in any way tacky or shady. It just depends on the circumstances where you use them.
With these skills in your life toolkit, you can approach people comfortably, ready to hear their side and present yours in a straightforward manner. Both people end up feeling heard and having a positive negotiation. I highly recommend the book.
