5 Questions with Roger Dawson, author of Secrets of Power Negotiating

 

Which country has the best negotiating techniques?

Negotiating styles are so different in other countries that’s it’s hard to pick one as the best. The best negotiators are the ones that understand those differences and work with them. Americans, Germans and the Swiss are very much focused on getting the contract signed. I call that being a low context negotiator. Asians are much more focused on the relationship between the parties – they are high context negotiations.
Americans think of the contract as the end of the negotiations. In the Arab world, it’s the beginning of the negotiations. In Korea the contract is only valid as long as the conditions under which the contract was signed are valid.

What's an overlooked aspect of negotiating?

The number one mistake that beginning negotiators make is failing to Flinch when the other side asks them for a concession. Flinching is reacting with shock and surprise that they would have the nerve to ask you for a concession. Very often the other side suggests something that they really don’t expect you to do. When you fail to Flinch, they start to believe that they could get it from you.

For those shy or too diplomatic to negotiate hard, is there a tip you have for them?

Shy people can be great negotiators because they listen more than they talk. That’s a big advantage. They should get over their fear of asking for concessions by practicing negotiating tactics in non-threatening situations.

Who is the best negotiator you've seen and why?

On the international scene, Ronald Reagan was a great negotiator because the had mastered the art of projecting a consistent set of values. Other countries knew exactly where he stood on key issues and knew that it would be a wasted effort to try and get concessions in those areas.

When negotiations get real tough and don't seem to be going anywhere, what advice would you give?

In my book Secrets of Power Negotiating I discuss three areas of problems with negotiating:
Impasses, which are handled by setting aside the point of conflict and reaching agreement on smaller issues to create momentum; Stalemates, which require the negotiators to reset the negotiations by changing location or negotiators; and Deadlocks, which can only resolved by bringing in a mediator or arbitrator who must be perceived as neutral by both sides.

5 Questions with Dave Kahle, author of How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime

 

What aspect of selling do you feel is overlooked and therefore sometimes the cause of bad selling technique?

Step number six of the sales process: Follow up and leverage satisfaction.  Too many people think the sale is the end of the effort, when in many cases it can be the beginning of a relationship that results in multiple transactions.  The call made on the customer after he has purchased and used your product cements the relationship, shows you care, and leads to other opportunities.

How important is to believe in your product and/or completely?

Relatively unimportant.  I know that’s a departure from the conventional wisdom.  I sold expensive men’s suits for a long time, as I worked my way through college.  I always thought it was a bit arrogant and self-important to spend that much for a suit.  I never bought one myself.  That didn’t stop me from selling them, though.  Your opinion is secondary to what the customer wants.  .  It is far more important that you understand the customer and his/her interests than you believe in the product. 

We receive a lot of questions about selling advertising space online, do you have any tips on how people can improve their sales in that area?

Adhere to the process I articulate in the book.  Do each step well.  There is no quick, easy, simple “secret” for selling anything.  Instead there is intentional, disciplined adherence to a process. Think deeply about each step.  Prepare thoroughly.  Practice.  Implement with excellence.  Success in sales is a result of thinking about it before you do it, and then doing it with excellence. . 

What aspect of this book was the most fun to write about?

The last few chapters on turning your sales efforts into a system.  I’m a systems thinker, and much of my work as a consultant has to do with refining sales systems.  But that’s a concept that is new to many people and there isn’t much in the literature about it.  So, I enjoyed the opportunity to express the things that I have learned along the way on that aspect of selling and be one of the pioneer thought leaders on this issue.

How can one "practice selling" if they're intimidated at first?

In any endeavor, whether it be fire-fighting, brain surgery, preparing taxes, or selling, the serious practioner recognizes that part of the struggle for success is internal.  We battle against our own preconceived notions, habits, mind sets and emotions.  Just recognizing that is a great first step.  I only know of two ways to go from intimidated to competent:  practice and experience. So, practice every step over and over until you feel comfortable, but recognize that those feelings are going to be around for awhile, and you need to deal with them.

5 Questions with the author of "The Face of God"

 

What inspired this book?

This question should be: who inspired this book, instead of what. And the answer to this, I have no doubt about it, can only be Our Lady of Guadalupe. I had written a book about her and her miraculous image in Mexico, which is certainly not made by man’s hand – and is nevertheless nearly completely unknown in Europe. I travelled around the world for years doing research. But the very day (February 2004) when I held the first copy of this brand new book in my hands, (María of Guadalupe, Shaper of History, Shaper of Hearts) a new door opened which made it clear in an instant that I had to write a new book of the “True Image” of Her Son, too, which was unknown to the entire world at the time.

What part of it was most fascinating to write?

It is hard to say. To tell the truth it has been fascinating from the first to the last line – in a book which has not really ended yet. New chapters are added to it from year to year, although my book remains to be the true logbook of this discovery forever.

How have people responded? What's been the feedback?

It’s different from person to person and from heart to heart. Everybody is reacting differently. I saw people crying and laughing. Some of them see and realize its divine dimension at first glance. For others – including myself – it is a process in which the image is revealed to them. In the last years – namely after Pope Benedict XVI visited the Holy Icon on September 1st 2006 – I was witness to the first waves of a growing Tsunami of pilgrims to Manoppello. This discovery might look too good to be true for quite a number of people (particularly those who never have seen the Holy Face). But it is true – and it is going to change the course of the world. The Mexicans will discover it in the near future, and then Americans, the Canadians, the Chinese and so forth. The world is going to realize what is there on that remote hill in the Abruzzi mountains.

What were you trying to get through to readers of the book?

God has left an icon of His face on earth, inexplicably imprinted on two different cloths in Manoppello and Turin. Both pieces fit as one - as two pieces of a broken seal. Now we can look at these mysterious images for the first time in history in a unique new way – beginning instead of ending with the well-founded assessment that both of them are as real and authentic as anything can be. Both of them lead us right back into the empty tomb of Jesus of Nazareth outside the walls of Jerusalem as no other document, back to the moment of the origin of these images in the early hours of April 8th in the year 30

What's next for you?

To convey and get the message of this discovery through to the world is a challenge for a lifetime.

Interview with Joseph Wambaugh, author of Hollywood Hills

What was the inspiration behind Hollywood Hills?

An LAPD cop specializing in art theft told me the story of a painting switch perpetrated by a butler.

Did you feel any different writing this book compared to the Hollywood series?

This is the fourth (and last, I think) in the Hollywood Station series so I was comfortable with the continuing characters who seemed like old friends.

What was the best compliment on the book?

The book has received great critical reviews but my favorites come from cops who say, "You got it right."
 
Which character did you feel was the most fun and entertaining to write?

 The Hollywood Station surfer cops, who the others call Flotsam and Jetsam, have always been fun to write.
 
What's next for you?

Currently, I am trying to research a novel about LAPD's Harbor Division. So far, I have interviewed 31 cops.  Usually, I need about 50 before I feel ready to go.

5 Questions with Dr. Minirth, author of Boost Your Brainpower

 

How'd this book come about?

I've long realized the brain could be accentuated Reading in psychiatry has correlated to that degree. Neuroplacticity is very important.
What is a good exercise people can do instantly for boosting their brainpower?

Word memorization.

What's the most inspiring story about someone boosting their brainpower you've heard?

I see people all the time that improve their cognitive thinking through word memorization.

Are there any foods you'd recommend for brain power boosting?

Caffeine as appropriate for each individual increases dopamine which increases the ability to think.

What's next for you?

I have several books being viewed by publishers that deal with cognition.

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5 Questions with Norman Phillips, author of Professional Posing Techniques

 

What makes a good pose?
A pose that flatters the subject, has leading lines, does not forshorten
limbs and if legs are included they are posed so as to create a tapered from
the top to the feet and when hands are included they are shown running
across the camera, not angled directly at the casmera and works with the
lighting plan.

What's a tip you'd give a newcomer to the modelling word in terms of
posing?
Unless the photographer directs you to face on to camera, always present
yourself at an angle to the camera.  Relax.  Don't force a pose that may
make you look uncomfortable.  Place hands so that they are presented without
either the back or palm of the hand to the camera.  Cross your ankles to
create a tapered line from hips to feet.  Enjoy what you are doing.  Dn't
make it look like a chore.

What's the best way to think of a camera to develop the best relationship
with it for posing?

Ignore the camera and focus on the photographer and his/her directions.
Project yourself in a way to express yourself and elicit excitement.  Don't
look disinterested, interact with the photographer, it makes the images look
alive.

Which model out there right now strikes you as being the most camera
 friendly model?

 This is a tough one.Locally, the best model I worked with is Jennifer
Williams, she is delightful to work with and responsive to directions and
smiles at every prompting. But Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Hawkins and Jennifer
Lopez are truly camera friendly.

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Praise for The Book of Skin 'Richly conceived and elaborately thought out. No flicker of meaning has escaped Connor's ferocious, all seeing eye.' - The Guardian Praise for Fly 'In Fly, Steven Connor undertakes the monumental task of acquainting a prejudiced public with the spectacular diversity of Diptera. The book is a tour de force of all manner of flies through both scientific and cultural lenses ... The illustrations are an unremitting delight ... Fly is a joy to read' - Science

5 Questions with Brad Warner, author of Sex, Sin & Zen

 

What is the traditional Buddhist viewpoint on sex?

In ancient Buddhist tradition monks, both male and female, were celibate. For lay people there were only 4 rules. No sex that is unlawful, no sex with anyone still under the protection of their parents, no sex with criminals and no sex with those who are married or engaged to someone else. After a while a large list of sexual regulations for monks was developed. But later on this was abandoned and there was only one rule, do not misuse sexuality. This applied to both monks and lay people. 

Since the Meiji Restoration of the 1860s, Japanese Buddhist monks, again male and female, are no longer required to observe the rule of celibacy. But generally speaking, they remain celibate during their training period, which may be a few months or a few years. 

There are no restrictions on sex other than this. For example there is no idea that pre-marital sex is forbidden. There are no ideas that homosexuality is wrong. And so on. It is up to each individual to decide for herself or himself what constitutes the misuse of sex. 

Has the book caused any controversy in the Buddhist circles?

Not really. Most Buddhists have been very supportive of the book. On the other hand, I've noticed that a lot of the Buddhist magazines in the West are not reviewing the book. I suspect this may be because they are uncomfortable about taking any specific position on the ideas I bring up in it. They're aware that the rules about sexual behavior for Buddhists allow for a great deal of openness. But I think that the cultural background the editors and their readers are steeped in makes it difficult to acknowledge the implications of this idea. So they don't want to say anything either positive or negative about it. It will take time before this can change. 

Which chapter was the most fun to write?

I had a lot of fun interviewing Nina Hartley. She is a porn star who was raised by two Buddhist monks — one male, one female. So Buddhism has very much influenced her life. I asked her to talk about how she can do what she does for a living and still feel she is not violating the rule against misusing sex. I think her answers are really interesting. 

What can Buddhism teach people about sex?

I think Buddhism can help us get over some of the hang-ups that Christian-based culture has about sex. It's not necessary to indulge in wild sexuality and so forth. But it's good to be a bit less concerned about the morality of sex. Yes, sex can sometimes be immoral, depending on the specific circumstances and who is involved and so forth. But the very act of sex itself is neither moral nor immoral. We've been living with the idea that sex itself is wrong for far too long. It's good to see another way. And it's good to have some kind of spiritual support for the idea that sex isn't such a big deal. 

What new things do you have on the horizon?

I'm trying to write a book about God and one about Godzilla. I'm not sure which one will win out. Who is stronger? God or Godzilla? I'm also constantly on tour doing lectures and running retreats all over the world. My blog, hardcorezen.blogspot.com, has all the information.