Most books on Business Negotiations are dealing with the subject matters of mindset, persuasion, and brainstorming as methods to approach a negotiation.  In contrast, Negotiations – Prepare to Win – an Analytical Approach provides a negotiation template – one that has a proven track record.   This book starts with building a foundation for success and ends with how to implement a self-sustaining cost reduction system.  In between, the book outlines comprehensive techniques on how to identify and quantify leverage points, and provides a process for conducting successful negotiations.

Gregory Taylor’s unique contribution to the study of Negotiation is how he builds upon the useful concept of the “trading zone” that Lawrence Susskind introduced in his book Good For You Great For Me.  Given different business climates, purchase volumes, cost of materials, exchange rates, etc., what is a reasonable negotiation result expectation? The author shows the reader how to analyze multiple variables to determine what the trading zone values should be, and then how to incorporate the findings into his effective process, leading to outstanding results.

A huge hidden profit opportunity for businesses is better negotiated purchase prices for their raw materials, services, and components.  This opportunity is hidden because a company and people don’t know what they don’t know.  This book provides a process for organizations to calculate the savings they are leaving on the table, then how to take that knowledge and effectively negotiate cost reductions. The author has packed a lot of useful knowledge into this well-organized small book.