Deal maker extraordinaire Bob Mayer provides tips and tactics drawn from a unique blend of sources, including recent advances in psychology, linguistics, and communications, his 30 years of "been there, done that" negotiating experiences, and tricks drawn from interviews with over 200 of the world's deal-making masters. Includes the unique "Deal-Maker's Playbook." Mayer is a partner in a Los Angeles law firm specializing in entertainment law. He has negotiated for actors, authors, and athletes, in addition to corporate clients. Drawing on his experience "doing deals," he offers his "secrets" here. To make certain we are "finessed" and "persuaded" into buying this book, he has included tricks of the trade learned from interviews with Middle Eastern and Asian street-bazaar merchants. The key to getting one's way, argues Mayer, is to be "a problem solver who seeks hard-bargain results while using a soft touch." More than half of Mayer's book is devoted to his "dealmaker's playbook," step-by-step tips, tricks, and tactics for 36 different negotiating situations--including a cohabitation agreement, buying jewelry, settling an insurance claim, and arranging for a cruise. David Rouse "... Strategies that will connect you more persuasively and effectively with customers, employees, even competitors." -- Success Magazine "At the top of my list this month ... what really sets the book apart is the second half called The Deal Maker's Playbook. This section lays out the broad outlines of many common and specific negotiating situations." -- Bookpage "Bob Mayer is a lawyer's lawyer, and Power Plays is an important and most helpful book for everybody." -- Larry King, host, Larry King Live "Bob Mayer is the Leader of the CAN-DO Club." -- Entertainment Today "Expert tips for effective negotiating." -- Chicago Tribune "Mayer offers expert tips on turning other people's emotions to your advantage, recognizing that more deals are closed because they 'feel right' rather than on strictly logical grounds. The 'Deal-Makers Playbook' presents ... the most common negotiating situations ... and gives a winning game plan for each." -- Microsoft on-line services book of the week "Mayer's non-threatening approach in many ways builds on the principles laid out long ago in Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.... So what is the art of the deal? ... It's martial. It's mental judo, where you use the other guy's energy to win. It's mind-set. It's charisma. That's the message of Power Plays...." -- New York Times "The book is filed with helpful hints on the art of negotiating ... offers hypothetical, everyday negotiating circumstances and guides you through each one." -- Today's Investor magazine "We like the straight forward, no-nonsense style. Thanks for a valuable reference tool!" -- Small Business Opportunities magazine SO YOU WANT TO TILT THE PLAYING FIELD Some will say Power Plays is a primer on how to be manipulative. More importantly, it is a book about how not to be manipulated. The fancy footwork and magic moves to outgun, outmaneuver, and outnegotiate the other fellow are all here. So are techniques for developing life skills that will dramatically enhance your chances of professional success and personal satisfaction. Part I is Soft Touch: Finessing, Influencing, and Persuading Others. It is about getting things to go your way more easily more often. This part is not about being a "softie." It is about how to read people. How to influence their decisions. And how to deal with their resistance while winning their cooperation and support. It is about finesse, the art of the velvet glove. Part II is Trouble Shooting: Settling For More, is about what works - and what doesn't - when you're up against a stone wall ... or when your ideas are being rejected ... or when you're confronted with hostility and anger. It will teach you how to be an uncompromising compromiser. How to finesse people who would rather be right than reasonable. How to stand up to people you can't stand. Part III is Hard Bargain: Winning When the Score Is Kept In Dollars, explores the art and psychology of the rough and tumble - terms, price, conditions. Here is the iron fist for those times when you need to become a "take no prisoners" opportunist. Part IV is The Deal-Maker's Playbook: Low-Impact, High-Yield Tips, Tricks, and Tactics. It's not enough to know how to negotiate; you must also know what to negotiate. So here it is. Real world deal-making without chiseling, offending, or embarrassing anyone - including yourself. You'll find step-by-step "how to's" and "what to's" for 36 common negotiating situations - everything from buying a car to leasing an apartment. From finessing an increase in salary to influencing the outcome of a contested divorce. From going toe-to-toe with the I.R.S. - or an insurance claims adjuster, or someone who owes you money - to how to ace a job interview, buy a franchise, or negotiat