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Bare-Knuckle Negotiation
by Raoul Felder
Negotiating with the stars.
Author Raoul Felder knows a thing or two about negotiation. As divorce attorney to the stars, he's earned nicknames like “The Lion King of Splitsville,” and “Dr. Estranged Love,” serving clients like Rudy Guliani, Robin Givens, the former Mrs. Carl Sagan and the former Mrs. Martin Scorcese.
Now he has written a book about the art of negotiation. Despite spending much of his life in court, Felder urges keen negotiators to try to avoid going that route, advising, “Always try to negotiate a satisfactory conclusion without the assistance of a third party. By agreeing to let some other person arbitrate the dispute, you relinquish control over the procedure and lose power. When a third person charts the course of resolution, the outcome becomes unpredictable.”
If the judge is in a bad mood on the day he hears your case, Felder goes on to say, there's no telling how he or she might rule.
“Everything is negotiable,” according to Felder, and to get what you want he recommends conducting negotiations one-on-one, and asking retailers or service providers how they can sweeten a deal by throwing in accessories or extra services when you are haggling over the price of a big-ticket item.
Observing your opponent's body language is important as well, to look for signs of weakening. “I have learned that by looking into my opponent's eyes for a subtle clue,” Felder writes, “I will know when to put the dagger in. On some occasions, I can smell the fear.”
Felder also advises against issuing threats (like starting legal action) unless you're prepared to follow through. It only weakens your position once an empty threat is revealed.
To set the tone for negotiations, Felder suggests that it is best to start by telling your opponent that you know they are reasonable and flexible, an expectation that they will then try to live up to. Other advice includes having a main strategy as well as two backup plans.
In his day, Felder has represented Johnny Carson's ex-wife, and brought paternity suits against Tom Jones, Mike Tyson, boxing promoter Don King, and Mick Jagger, among others. He also represented the ex-wife of Anthony Quinn, a repeated philanderer who fathered two children with his mistress at the age of 82.
Once involved with negotiations with Frank Sinatra, he learned that bobby-soxers were hired to “scream and swoon” during Sinatra's performances to boost his career.
Felder drops more names throughout the book, while keeping others confidential, as he details some of the settlements he's negotiated for high-profile or wealthy clients.
Title: Bare-Knuckle Negotiation
Author: Raoul Felder
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN: 0471463337
Review written by: Marc Duane Anderson
Reviewer's Rating:8
Reader's Rating: 1.00
Reader's Votes: 1
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