The Good Girl's Guide to Negotiating: How to Get What You Want at the Bargaining Table

Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Gift for the Perfect Lady.. Who Wants Clout
Review: "The Good Girl's Guide to Negotiating" provides the organizing principles for successful negotiations. The prose sparkles and the ideas illuminate.

This book identifies the intrinsic skills that women--who were raised to be ladies--possess, and then illustrates how to employ these talents in a myriad of situations which require negotiating finesse. The authors provide entertaining and insightful vignettes that highlight the principles of smart negotiations.

I've used the guidelines the authors offer to negotiate a five figure business contract, as well as to bargain for antique Hollohaza porcelain in Budapest.

This book is the perfect gift for any woman who wore white gloves on Sunday to visit the great aunts and uncles, who danced at chaperoned cotillions and who learned to say "No" only to frisky dates. It tops my December holiday list for my dear friends, who will be delighted to learn how to use all the qualities that have made them ladies to negotiate for anything with aplomb.

Rating:
Summary: You Can Find Better Negotiating Books
Review: Exhibiting all the traits of a "good girl" and fuming from my last job review, I thought this book would be a perfect weekend read. By the end, I was bored and this book has been tossed into my pile of rejected paperbacks.

This book is more successful in listing personality traits of a "good girl" rather than giving effective strategies that are sure to lead to bargain table success. There are some negotiating tactics, but they aren't anything new (listen, know how to say no, get things in writing, shop around, think before you sign, etc). Once I finished the book, I knew what made me a "good girl," I knew there were a lot of women like me, and I knew in what situations "good girls" failed, but I still didn't have an applicable strategy for remedying these issues.

For instance, the authors recommend researching your expected salary before negotiating your next job contract. This isn't new advice, and I still didn't know where to turn for this information -- coworkers, online, library? There are a few cases where the authors give resources -- but they are ones I am already familiar with or are too obscure to be useful (what numbers to call when barganing for a casket, find out what your car is worth with the kelly blue book).

And be forewarned, the entire book consists of hundreds and hundreds of anecdotes. It is the reader's responsibility to figure out how to apply other women's successes and pitfalls to herself. While sometimes entertaining, this approach is not going to transform a "good girl" into a negotiating shark.

There are few good points in this book but most of it is just common good sense.

Rating:
Summary: I thought I knew it all
Review: For all of us who have faced the nightmare of being assertive in negotiations, in asserting our rights as individuals, consumers and professionals, this book is a must. I could readily identify with many of the issues confronting women in everday life. The methodologies for overcoming shyness and lack of confidence were extremely helpful, understandable and doable. All you need is a different mindset and approach to getting what you want. The authors are easy to relate to and thus their suggestions are easier to grasp. Through humor, the authors made their subject come alive. I found the reading quite enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: I plan to recommend this book to all my clients, especially those who feel trapped in the corporate world. I can see why the authors wanted to use the "good girl" theme as a hook, but both men and women get frustrated by negotiating. They know their stuff, from behind-the-scenes at funeral homes to scholarly research on negotiating.

Their tips are very straightforward and right on. They understand the world of home-buying, car-buying and more. They are absolutely right: don't accept what's offered first.
Get information. Find out what the going rate is and don't pay too much.

This is a good book to keep on the shelf. Besides the general perspective, the authors offer direct guidance for specific situations. You never know which one you'll need next.

Rating:
Summary: A Gift For All Reasons--And All Your Girlfriends!
Review: I read this book upon the recommendation of a friend. At first, I was skeptical since I prefer fiction to non-fiction or self-help books. Still, I trust my friend and the concept sounded intriguing so I went for it. Boy, I wasn't disappointed. I had no IDEA how poor a negotiator I really was in the long run. Here, I thought as a freelance writer and entrepreneur I had mastered the art. Suffice to say, I couldn't put the book down. It grabbed me from page one, with it's candid prose, terrific humor, and dead-on descriptions of how "good girls" (okay, like me) aren't getting what they really deserve.

I saw myself in every case study and practical example of how other women are doing better than I am in this area. I really connected to their stories. In doing so, I learned a ton about myself--including when and where I can improve my negotiation skills. I am excited about applying this information to my own experiences (in fact, I've already started at both work and in my family relationships).

I highly recommend this book to anybody who thinks they deserve more from their interactions with other people but don't know how to go about getting it. I've already bought 15 copies to give as holiday gifts to my girlfriends. (Yes, I'm a planner!) Thanks and kudos to the authors!

Rating:
Summary: Validating, but not Informative
Review: If you are a woman like me, who typically is a "good girl", and despises confrontation, arguments, and general conflict, this book was very validating. The authors do a great job of explaining, how we, as women, tend to get walked all over, and why it always happens, in business as well as daily family life. I appreciated that- it made me feel like I was not alone. However, I was really hoping to get some good tactics on how to negotiate those big things- buying a car, a home, etc. The authors spent TOO much time telling the stories of the women they interviewed, rather than telling the average woman how to truly NEGOTIATE. A few, good points were mentioned, but nothing hearty enough to get me through a real negotiation situation.

Rating:
Summary: At Long Last a Useful Business Book!
Review: Kudos and thanks to the talented and tough team of Elizabeth Austin and Leslie Whitaker for writing a superb, well-reported and well-written business book not filled with silly metaphors, juvenile imagery and psychobabble. "The Good Girls' Guide to Negotiating" is well-documented and practical with insight, advice and tips for use in many different arenas and life trials. There are success stories and lessons, all written with candor and aplumb, in a style that is readable and understandable.

Perhaps because both women are trained journalists, this book has substance and solid information for application on a variety of fronts, from home to work, volunteer office and even to the funeral parlor. I recommend this book as a graduation gift to any young woman from high school, college or graduate school. It's also perfect as an engagement gift, birthday, guide to someone newly divorced or someone swtiching careers or life paths. This is advice all women can heed, from how to approach a deal to how to feel confident about fees.

So many business books I have read over the years-- particuarly those aimed at women-- appear to be condescending or just plain foolish. They state the obvious in metaphors that may attempt to be mythical but come off as cartoonish. Not so with this welcome book. It is a proud addition to my bookshelf and I suggest the good old boys get a good look at it too.

Way to go, girls, you did good.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: This book was not really what I was looking for. I wanted to think about negotiation generally, and how I as a woman am approaching it, and how I can be more effective. Although the book has some limited general advice at the beginning, almost all of the book focuses on specific situations (buying a car, getting a divorce, etc.) Since all of the situations presented were inapplicable to me, the book was of limited value. Readers interested in this title should check the table of contents and excerpt on this page. I would not have picked this book if those features had been available when I bought it.

Rating:
Summary: How about a book signing at Border's or Barne's and Nobel's
Review: This is a great book which has helped me take charge of my life in business by using the techniques outlined by Austin and Whitaker. As I read the book it occured to me that I would like to ask the authors specific questions not covered in the book.
The majority of reviews on this book have been very favorable
but each of us seems to have more questions or needs not covered in the book. Usually when a book is as successful as this one appears to be the publisher arranges a book signing.
I have yet to hear of this occurance and would relish the chance to ask a few specific questions and get my book signed by Austin and Whitaker.