If They Won't Bend, Break Them!®

Tips, Tactics and Strategies You Need to Negotiate Like a Pro

Non-Fiction - Business/Finance
240 Pages
Reviewed on 03/26/2025
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Author Biography

After graduating from the United States Air Force Academy, Geoff served six years on active duty in the project management field as a procurement officer. He was involved in the development and management of advanced aviation systems and space communications programs.

After leaving the military, he joined the private aerospace industry as a business, contracts, and program manager for highly classified defense satellite programs. Negotiating and communicating were crucial and significant components of his business activities and pursuits.

He led several teams that negotiated more than four billion dollars in contracts, many of which were complex procurements involving long-range cost, schedule, and performance incentives. Many of these negotiations took months to complete, and that experience deep in the trenches provides the foundation for his negotiating seminars and this book.

He has a strong background in the areas of personal finance, investing, economics, stock markets, marketing, and military aviation. He's a member in good standing of the State Bars of California and New Hampshire, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite

Negotiations lay the groundwork for any successful business deal or agreement between two or more parties. But negotiating to get what you want is not always easy. With a background in personal finance, economics, and aviation, Geoffrey Michael brings readers an all-in-one guide that covers all the foundational principles of negotiation. In If They Won't Bend, Break Them, Michael shares personal stories, tips, and insights to help readers acquire the best tools and strategies for negotiation. Beginning with an overview of the basics of negotiation, the book takes a deep dive into topics such as sizing up your opponent, the art of persuasion, developing a negotiation mindset, bluffing and the power of observation, the basics of contract law, assessing and establishing value, the scarcity effect, the twelve fundamental principles of negotiation, buying and selling, recurring negotiations, closing the deal, and more.

If They Won't Bend, Break Them is one of the most comprehensive books on negotiation tactics and strategies I've ever read. Author Geoffrey Michael draws from his decades of experience as an expert negotiator in various fields to present a step-by-step guide. This covers every negotiation tactic and strategy in great detail, offering readers a must-have manual for preparing their own negotiation blueprint. The tips and insights are not just valuable in theory but also practically applicable in real-life scenarios. Michael has a clear-cut way of describing each topic, which helps to make the book accessible to all readers, regardless of their background. The author's use of personal stories to demonstrate negotiation tactics makes the book even more engaging and the content easier to follow. I found it very informative and motivational. Highly recommended!