Editor’s Pick: If They Won’t Bend, Break Them! Tips, Tactics and Strategies You Need to Negotiate Like a Pro by Geoffrey Michael
Posted On 03/20/2025 By admin
Book Review by Geoffrey Michael, ZG Worldwide Associate
“Look for leverage in every negotiation,” Michael writes in this clear-eyed, hard-nosed guide to getting “the best deal possible under very trying circumstances.” What if you don’t have leverage? “Create it. If you can’t create it, make the other party believe you have it.” Advice like that powers If They Won’t Bend, Break Them!, a handbook for negotiators but also anyone wishing to improve the negotiating skills that, as Michael argues, everyone can use-buying a car, setting bedtimes, or even choosing what movie to watch. Michael makes a persuasive case that since each of us, knowingly or not, negotiates each day, we owe it to ourselves to get a handle on our haggling ability. While the book casts a wide negotiating net, Michael’s centerpiece, a list of Twelve Fundamental Principles of Negotiation, is worth the price of admission on its own, warning against the “warranty trap” and reminding us all, in high-stakes business or everyday life, “Only negotiate with someone empowered to commit.”
Michael’s guidance is detailed, practical, and convincing, drawn from hard-won experience in defense systems sales. From that work he offers some myth-busting claims: “lawyers are less effective negotiators than people I’ve worked with in other disciplines,” he argues. Other lessons demonstrate the importance of setting the bar beyond what you believe is attainable and acquiring thorough subject knowledge before starting any negotiation. Similarly, when one is the buyer in any negotiation, Michael urges starting “well below” where you’d like to finish, creating a wide “upside margin” that can be utilized in subsequent trading events.
With anecdotes and examples, Michael shows how ordinary human personality traits can torpedo a seemingly promising negotiation and how “fairness” is “a highly subjective term open to interpretation.” Occasionally the storytelling is self-regarding in a salesman’s way, but the guidance is clearly built on years of hands-on, person-to-person experience. Whether you’re preparing to buy a home, request a raise, or pick a restaurant, Michael can help.
Key Takeaways: Persuasive, practical guide to negotiation tactics in business and life.
Amazon Link to Purchase If They Won’t Bend, Break Them!
