Rating: 
Summary: A real eye-opener for anyone negotiating anything
Review: I was VERY impressed with Jim Camp's "Start with No." In under 300 pages, the author gets his point across succinctly and powerfully; negotiations don't begin with "Yes" (which might even be a lie) or "Maybe" which is worse than useless. They begin with "No" and giving permission for the other party to say "no."The brilliance of the "no" can be the important "way out" in a negotiation, where one party is offered a graceful exit to avoid the sense of feeling trapped or tricked. And it's also the path to finding out what they really need or really can accept. But it's much more than that. Camp informs the reader that previous theories of negotiation such as "Win-Win" are pure bunkum; in negotiation, sometimes someone wins and someone else loses. But the long-term outcome may be quite different--what might have been compromised into a mediocre solution by win-win can often be better for both parties when one loses at the outset. Case in point; a contract is drawn up with terms that one party can no longer fulfill. It's time to renegotiate the contract despite the terms and conditions. Why? What if the contract specified that a vendor sell at a price that would drive them out of business? If the buyer NEEDS that product, they'd better negotiate rather than fail to receive the product. Going elsewhere to find it could be more costly than the re-negotiated price. Camp's experiences are in direct contrast to some of business guru Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Successful People", which I thought was quite interesting. To remind you, the habits are: 1- Be Proactive
2- Begin with the End in Mind
3- Put First Things First
4- Think Win/Win
5- Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
6- Synergize
7- Sharpen the Saw Mr. Camp actually has no issue with the majority of these habits, but he disagrees vehemently with two of the seven principles: #2--begin with the end in mind, and #4 Think Win/Win. In the case of negotiation, sometimes, Mr. Camp informs us, it's better not be so focused on the goal i.e, getting the lowest price, making that sales quota for that month) lest you appear needy. What's more, being too focused on your own goal might cause you to make dangerous assumptions or fail to realize the underlying situation. And Camp scoffs at the idea of win-win, giving the reader plenty of real-life examples where losing either was just that...losing, or was a neutral outcome (no win, but better than other potentially worse outcomes.) I recommend this book to anyone getting ready to negotiate nearly anything, from extended bedtimes for your kids, to a refinanced mortgage to a multi-million dollar deal. Excellent material here from this experienced contrarian.
Rating:
Summary: You Don't Know What You're Not Doing
Review: If you haven't read Camp's book, then you haven't been negotiating--you've been giving.
Everyone in sales is in a position responsible for certain elements of negotiation. Most of these people gained their position through the demonstration of strong selling skills. But selling is based upon "relationship building," and you are being killed at the negotiation table--perhaps even while you create a "good" relationship with your client.
Buy this book today, read it in a day, and review it for the rest of your life. Right now, you don't have the slightest idea what you're losing at the table. After you read this book, you'll know exactly what you're gaining.
Rating: 
Summary: Conventional Wisdom be damned! Bring the Contrarian.
Review: Jim Camp is new to me but will most likely become quite a bright albeit controversial figure in management circles. Mr. Camp's new offering, START WITH NO, specifically debunks the methodology we were all taught in Negotiation 101...achieve "win-win" at all costs. Mr. Camp says NO, with a capital N, to this weak, antiquated negotiating objective. Mr. Camp introduces his theory, "...I believe win-win is hopelessly misguided as a basis for good negotiating, in business or in your personal life or anywhere else." So begins his treatise encapsulated in contrarian thinking toward negotiations of any type. Win-win, posits Mr. Camp, is an invitation to lose. While conventional tutelage is grounded in give-and-take compromise, Mr. Camp's negotiating foundation begins with giving or taking a No. Empowering an opponent to say No is power, according to Camp. Mr. Camp quotes the ever-popular negotiating gem, GETTING TO YES, and its basic definition of a "wise agreement." A wise agreement meets the legitimate interests of each side to the extent possible, resolves conflicting interests fairly, is durable, and takes community interests into account. Camp's theory is that compromise is implicit within this definition, perhaps explicit. His question: Why in the world compromise before you're certain you have to? Mr. Camp offers the reader an indepth view of why saying No is beneficial to a negotiator amongst an abundance of wisdom, tactics and observations from years of negotiation coaching. In the end, Mr. Camp leaves us with "The Thirty-three Rules" of negotiating. A few of these, which fly in the face of the conventional win-win theory: - Your job is not to be liked. Its to be respected and effective.
- Never enter a negotiation-never make a phone call-without a valid agenda.
- You do not need it. You only want it. {a very key attribute regardless the theoretical camp in which one resides}
- The value of the negotiation increase by multiples as time, energy, money, and emotion are spent.
- "No" is good, "yes" is bad, "maybe" is worse.
- "Our greatest strength is our greatest weakness (Emerson). All this said, Mr. Camp has presented an extremely cogent view of why win-win is outdated and outmoded. However, there are always situations wherein weakness is the position in which one begins providing a gauntlet of hurdles to clear before reaching the proprietary level of success. Consequently, it is my conclusion that, while Mr. Camp's methods are unorthodox and unconventional, they can be of great assistance to a negotiator who understands that each negotiation has its own set of facts and circumstances. No single negotiation exists in a vacuum. Commingled utilization of Mr. Camp's methodology along with emotion-neutral theories should prove valuable to the negotiating professional. A good solid read that should be part of any negotiators' library.
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Summary: My AHA moment
Review: Probably you saw specific details in the other reviews. I want to say how this book has really helped me.
I don't read non-fiction as a rule, but I could not put this one down. My freelance business has been going down over the years and I had come to the conclusion that it was a self-confidence issue. One example used in the book was about a man who regularly charged less than he was worth. After giving a firm quote within his worth range, but higher than his comfort level, he was a bit shaken. AHA! It isn't just me -- not my talent, my business, my intelligence -- lots of people, even the "big guys" have the same issues. These are skills to be learned and everyone can do it. The conversational tone felt very welcoming (nurturing, if you will) and frequent examples keep the text from becoming too dry. If you want one book that will guide you toward successful negotiating, I highly recommend this one.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant book
Review: Read every page of this book and keep it closeby. It will save you lots of heartache.
Rating: 
Summary: Advantage is The Motive Force
Review: Start With No presents a well thought out and integrated series of psychological truths pertaining to the successful exercise of power in human relations. In this seminar-like presentation Jim Camp rightly emphasizes the central role emotional neediness and damaged self-esteem play in the faltering and/or out right failure of interactions of all conceivable forms: beginning with business negotiation and, by extrapolation, extending through intimate arrangements like friendship and marriage. Other astute psychological observations include the leverage gained when the other is allowed to feel more 'okay" than you. And the strategic efficacy of saying no as a way into an authentic mode of discourse. All well and good. Unfortunately the writing, which is repetitive, lacking in detailed example (every example starts to sound like the same set of events after a few chapters), and way too conversational in this reader's opinion, does not do justice to the important themes under consideration. I would have liked to have seen the material, which is inherently so interesting in itself, given a far more rigorous and detailed treatment. By writing in a casual style more suited to live-action training seminars than a book, Mr. Camp missed an opportunity. His readers lose out as a result.
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Summary: The real reason why its good
Review: The reason the "Camp System" is good is that it's all David Sandler.
Rating:
Summary: The real reason why its good
Review: The reason the "Camp System" is good is that it's all David Sandler.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible book.
Review: There is just nothing in this book. Even books like Solution Selling, and Major Account Sales Strategy have better negotiation content - and these books have maybe 10 pages devoted to it.
The author uses his military background to create action anologies and military terms and name dropping to cover the fact there is NOT anything actionable that one could possibly take away from this book.
If I had learnt anything at all from this book, I would negotiate my money back.
HUGE Disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Camp Throws the High, Hard One
Review: This book is presents a workable high concept view of the negotiation process. The key strengths are in the following themes: emphasis on valid goals and valid agendas, a focus on the needs and pain of the opposite party, and the value of providing the opportunity for your opposite to say "no." These concepts alone are worth the price of admission. This is not a step-by-step "how to" book - it will not tell you how to deal with the forty or sixty pages of negotiation issues that you might face in a large scale negotiation. It is an effective statement of philosophy; everyone needs such a conceptual starting point to negotiate effectively. One criticism is a missed opportunity: the book might have discussed the link between bad selling and bad negotiation - a great negotiating effort cannot make up for a really poor selling or positioning effort. That said, I recommend the book.
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