The art of constructive negotiation

Management school teacher Prakash Chugani's book is designed to help you shed the belief that some people are born to be successful negotiators

Negotiate or Stagnate: Have it Your Way Without Showing the Highway 

Author: Prakash Chugani

Publisher: Penguin 

Pages: 176

Price: Rs 250

Are you jealous of people who are excellent at bargaining and always manage to get the best deals? Do you struggle with asking for a raise even when you know that you deserve one? Would you like to learn how to articulate what you want without feeling guilty or ashamed?

Read Prakash Chugani’s book Negotiate or Stagnate: Have it Your Way Without Showing the Highway to learn the basics of negotiation. A consultant with senior-level executives in India, West Asia and Africa, he teaches the negotiation and conflict resolution course at SP Jain School of Global Management and runs a podcast called Negotiations Paraphernalia.

The book is anchored in the conviction that negotiation skills can be polished with practice. It will help you let go of the belief that some people are born to be successful negotiators and others are doomed to fail miserably. It is divided into 16 short chapters that are a breeze to read because of the conversational writing style, minimal use of technical jargon and abundance of examples. The ease with which Mr Chugani explains his points will boost your confidence and help you take small and meaningful steps that will add up over time.

 “I was earlier under the impression that negotiations are battles of wits that involve aggressive behaviour, generating fear and intensifying the atmosphere with tough tactics. Due to this notion, I would avoid negotiations, which has had several repercussions,” he writes.

He points out that, even before we “enhance our negotiation capabilities”, we have to prepare the ground by discarding preconceived ideas about negotiations that we have internalised. If we have grown up seeing people get what they want only by using “anger, shame, threat and other manipulative techniques”, it might be harder for us to appreciate how negotiations can open up new possibilities and lead to favourable outcomes for both parties.

This book covers how to negotiate in work contexts that include selling, purchasing, recruitment, policy change, asking for a promotion, and building teams. The author’s tips would be useful, especially if you feel that you often get short-changed because you lack the finesse to spell out what you want in a given situation clearly. He mentions, for instance, the importance of doing your homework before getting to the negotiating table. If you intend to buy a second-hand vehicle or rent a home, you need to stay updated about the market rates. When you go in with this knowledge, you will not shell out a ridiculously exorbitant price.

It is important to know the walk-away price, or “the bare minimum we are willing to accept as a seller and…the maximum we are willing to part with as a buyer”. Seasoned negotiators are able to anticipate the walk-away price of the party they are negotiating with. They do not throw random numbers. Their industry-specific research, and conversations with people in their network, come in handy. They pose open-ended questions, and also look for non-verbal cues when the other party avoids replying. Mr Chugani gives the example of a land deal. If the seller asks, “What do you plan to do with this property?” and the buyer is non-committal, the seller can directly ask if the plot would be used for a commercial or residential purpose.

This book will teach you how to work with a “non-response”, which is all too common when people are trying not to lie but are also reluctant to give away the whole truth. It is a bit like playing a game, and people who are not used to it can get frustrated. That does not help. In fact, Mr Chugani has some excellent advice on managing emotions. He writes, “When they make a ridiculous opening offer, we simply deflect it in good jest.” Losing your temper or throwing tantrums is not productive. Lightening the atmosphere communicates that you are in control.

This book lists a number of ways to increase one’s power in a negotiation. Punctuality is a great quality to nurture because it gives you time to familiarise yourself with the surroundings, break the ice, and also get some time to breathe before the formal conversation.

Mr Chugani also offers some cautionary words on tackling deception. A lot of people incur losses when they make hasty decisions because an offer is apparently valid only till midnight. Sometimes, they jump excitedly at an offer without realising that it is too good to be true.

One of the most interesting chapters focuses on cultivating cross-cultural sensitivity. Some cultures place value on “accomplishments, skills and reliability” whereas others value “empathy, friendliness and emotional closeness” in business relationships. These insights would certainly help individuals strengthen their “negotiation muscle” but the book does not address the crucial topic of how collective bargaining can help improve working conditions.

The reviewer is an independent journalist and educator based in Mumbai. He is @chintanwriting on Instagram and X