Pete’s take…
I loved reading this book and would recommend it for all business professionals. It is especially good for those in sales. This book was written by a former FBI hostage negotiator. The stories he shares are real and will keep you turning the pages quickly. There are so many tips and techniques that can help you navigate a multitude of business and/or personal situations.
At the time I was reading this book, I was working with a client that stopped returning my calls and emails. I decided to use one of the techniques I was learning in the book. It was a brief email, copied almost word for word from the example Chris shared in his book. I was a bit uncertain about sending the email because it was very short and a bit strong. But I also figured I had nothing to lose since the deal was dead at this point with the customer not responding. I sent it despite my hesitations. I got a response within 10 minutes of pressing the send button and was ultimately able to move the deal forward. I shared my experience with one of my colleagues. He told me he had a similar non-responsive situation brewing with a prospect. He tried the same email and again it worked perfectly.
All in all, Never Split the Difference was a fun and informative book. I liked it so much I think I’ll read it again!
Cheryl’s take…
Do you like… CSI, Sharp Objects, Criminal Minds, True Detective or any of the other similar high drama crime series? Are you in a profession in which you have to negotiate? Yes to both and you will definitely like love this book.
I think I may have finished this book in 2 short evenings. The real-life hostage stories that Chris begins each chapter with had me quickly turning the pages. What’s really intriguing about this book is how he translates the lessons he learned as an FBI Lead Hostage Negotiator into actions you can take in the business world or even your personal life.
I like things that I can put to use immediately and there were plenty of opportunities to do just that with the examples shared in Chris’ book.
Three things that really stuck with me:
- The effectiveness of using open-ended questions. If you’re in sales, you already know the importance of using these. Chris demonstrates how to take these to another level and my favorite from the book… “How am I supposed to do that?”
- The use of calibrated questions to help uncover what the other side is thinking. Calibrated questions are specific open-ended questions that work because they take the aggression out of a closed-ended request and they are subject to interpretation by your counterpart. Without re-writing the book here to explain, a couple examples are… “How can we solve this problem?” or “What about this is important to you?” or “What is it that brought us to this situation?”
- The power of “loss aversion”. Chris shares research that shows people are statistically more likely to act to avoid a loss than to achieve an equal gain. Again, if you’re in sales you’ve likely heard this before, but are you using it effectively? The book provides many real-life examples that you can put to work right away.
GO READ THIS BOOK or you just may find yourself on the short end of your next negotiation. Like Pete, I’ll be re-reading it because there’s just so much to like about this book.
