Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People
by G. Richard Shell · 1999
In a nutshell
By G. Richard Shell, director of the Wharton Executive Negotiation Workshop (1999, 3rd ed. 2006, Penguin), this book builds a personalized negotiation approach around six foundations, including your own natural style, goals, and leverage, backed by research and historical case studies.
Overview
G. Richard Shell, a Wharton professor who directs its Executive Negotiation Workshop, first published Bargaining for Advantage in 1999, with a revised third edition from Penguin in 2006.
Key Ideas
- Your personal bargaining style is a foundation to understand, not override.
- Set ambitious but specific goals and expectations before negotiating.
- Use authoritative standards and norms to anchor fairness arguments.
- Build relationships and understand the other side's real interests, not just positions.
- Leverage comes from each side's alternatives and what they stand to lose.
Best For
Founders negotiating deals, salaries, term sheets, or vendor contracts.
Reference
Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People — publisher / official page. Summary adapted from the Awesome Startup Books collection.
If you like this, read
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
The definitive guide to principled negotiation from the Harvard Negotiation Project. This international bestseller with over 15 million copies sold teaches a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict—from business negotiations to personal disputes.
Speak Human: Outmarket the Big Guys by Getting Personal
Strategies for startups to leverage small size for authentic marketing. Emphasizes personal communication in preferred channels.
What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School
A practical business book offering real-world lessons on sales, negotiation, and relationship management that are invaluable to startup founders.
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation
By Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson (2011, Portfolio/Penguin), based on research into thousands of sales reps, this book argues the best B2B salespeople don't just build relationships — they teach, tailor, and take control by challenging the customer's thinking.
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk!
Outlines 22 fundamental marketing laws like Leadership (be first) and Focus (own a word) for startups to build dominant positions and acquire customers by creating categories. Use cases include Starbucks owning 'premium coffee'; vs Traction Channels, prioritizes mental positioning over tactical distribution for long-term customer loyalty. Key for go-to-market strategies in competitive markets.
$100M Leads: How to Get Strangers to Want to Buy Your Stuff
Equips startup founders with actionable lead generation strategies through four core channels—warm outreach, content posting, cold outreach, and paid ads—for scalable customer acquisition. Unlike the broader 19 Traction Channels, it prioritizes high-ROI tactics with proven use cases like gym chains generating hundreds of leads monthly and agencies filling sales pipelines. Ideal for go-to-market strategies in resource-constrained startups.