'Reinventing the Bazaar,' by John McMillan, is a great and fun introduction to the wild variety and importance of markets throughout history and around the world. I finally understood how a Middle Eastern souk actually works economically and how to compare that to modern-day telecom-spectrum auctions. I love that book.
Never take what's offered, always ask for more.
Game theorists analyze negotiations as if they were split-a-pie games involving selfish players.
At the end of the day, all the best negotiating techniques can't overcome the most substantive policy differences.
If you want to buy something; it’s obviously in your best interest to convince the seller that what he’s got isn’t worth very much.
Whatever fighting words you hear from the bargaining table, the reality is that with the new TV contract about to take effect and the incredibly lucrative ancillary revenue streams, both sides know we are on the verge of ushering in the most lucrative payday in the history of professional sports. The history of professional football is that nothing happens until the very last moment.
To get people to compromise, you have to give them stuff.
The side that feels the lesser urge for peace will naturally get the better bargain.
In the search [of a deal], we adopt the same attitude one might find appropriate in looking for a spouse: It pays to be active, interested, and open-minded, but it does not pay to be in a hurry.
In India, I tried never to show enthusiasm for the things I wanted most, but instead to focus it falsely on something showy, ask the price of that and then make a disappointed face when told.
