Kate Keenan is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist with degrees in affiliated subjects (B.Sc., M.Phil.) and a number of qualifications in others.

She founded Keenan Research, an industrial psychology consultancy, in 1978. The work of the consultancy is fundamentally concerned with helping people to achieve their potential and make a better job of their management.

By devising work programmes for companies she enables them to target and remedy their managerial problems - from personnel selection and individual assessment to team building and attitude surveys. She believes in giving priority to training the managers to institute their own programmes, so that their company resources are developed and expanded.

Kate Keenan enters negotiations knowing precisely what she wants, and with a pretty good idea of what others want. However, she finds that because she is in the business of helping other people to get what thay want, she has difficulty in preventing herself becoming more involved in seeking the best possible deal for their requirements than for her own.

A book for people who would like to manage themselves, their time, and their business better, but are too busy to begin.
This guide shows what Negotiating involves, and how to achieve an agreement that is satisfactory to both sides.
When you have read this book: you will understand the fundamental aims of negotiating; will know how to work out what you want from a deal; will have a greater ability to negotiate.

Give and take
Negotiation provides a framework in which issues can be discussed and explored, compromise achieved, and needs fulfilled. It is the process of trying to get what you want while enabling other people to get what they want.

Interrogate
People who are skilled at negotiation tend to ask more questions than average. In fact, they will often start negotiating over the number of questions. Asking questions gives you time to think and acts as an excellent alternative to disagreement.

Consider your options
If you agree too readily to something, you will always feel you might have done better. Taking time to consider what has been suggested prevents you from acting on impulse and possibly getting locked into a position from which it could be difficult to extricate yourself at a later stage.

Be positive
Many people enter negotiation with the attitude that everyone else is probably going to behave badly, so one more will not make any difference. But having the right attitude is vital if you are going to end up with a good deal.