While listening to the "You Must Read This" segment on NPR, in which impassioned writers recommend a new or old book that rocked their world, I got to thinking about all the business books I've read over the years. What “big idea” rocked mine? It came to me in a blink: "Start with No," as inculcated in an eponymous book I read a few years ago, written by negotiation trainer Jim Camp.
Turns out I wasn’t the only reader to love Start with No. It's a classic that’s still in print, on a topic that's evergreen. It went on to be a Wall Street Journal bestseller, has been translated into 12 languages, and is still selling strong on Amazon.
As a nice Midwestern gal who was brought up with the notion that, aiming to please is the ticket (“You attract more bees with honey than with vinegar,” as my mother used to say), imagine my shock when a fellow Midwesterner (Camp hails from Ohio) informs me that the best word in the English language is “no,” and that learning how to use this word will help me get what I want in life. What’s more, I don’t have to be rude to say it.
In the beginning of Start with No, he explains that even toddlers understand this. They know that “no” signals the beginning of the dialogue, not the end. In fact, he goes on to prove unequivocally that saying “yes” or “maybe” is the absolute worst thing you can do in any negotiation. Both words bring real dialogue to a screeching halt.
So how does this apply to business transactions or everyday life? Camp says if you want to get a negotiation off on the right footing, with you firmly in control, start by inviting the other party to say "no." You’re granting them the right to veto, which puts them at ease, gains their trust, and brings them to attention.
Once you do this, you can start working your magic on the other party using Camp’s systematic, step-by-step approach to negotiating that helps you get exactly what you want!
Article comments
1 - kurt brigliadora
.. How about the fact that..."google" and "apple" are asking for a "Tax Holiday" and just hired... One hundred and sixty lobbyist's...Anita Dunn was fired from Obama crew...for quoting "Mau Tse Tung" "Chinese Communist Party "and now she heads this tax holiday,that will cost USA tax payers: 78 billion in next ten years.She's a real american; huh!