Done Deal

We recommend this book to anyone who negotiates regularly and wants to get better at it. Actually, authors Michael Benoliel and Linda Cashdan have written such a clear book that just about anyone could read and enjoy it. They interviewed a host of well-known expert negotiators, such as former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III, U.S. Senator Bob Dole and even sports agent Jeff Moorad, for their advice and perspectives on negotiation. This is intrinsically interesting reading. Novice negotiators should take special heed since most negotiation is deeply experiential and, as the authors note, most new negotiators don't predict its outcome correctly. People tend to overestimate how good they're going to be at negotiating, and underestimate how challenging it will be. Let one deal go bad or even allow one negotiation to stall for days, and you'll be ripe for the solid advice this fine book provides. It is realistic, applicable and challenging.