Why do smart people make such stupid mistakes?

Recently I took an IPA course on negotiation skills taught by Keith Risk, and was therefore interested to see what Chris Merrington, another IPA trainer, had to say on the matter in this book. Having declared my interest, my view on this book is that while it is a promotional vehicle for Merrington’s consultancy, it is nevertheless a useful guide to the preparation for and execution of a negotiation.

In particular I found the chapters ‘Negotiation principles’, ‘Differentiation and winning business’, and ‘That’s a good question’ most useful, as were the worked examples on the dangers of discounting and conversely the extra profitability derived from a successful negotiation. I also liked his use of simple checklists and the occasional cartoon to lighten
up the text and emphasise the points being made.

This slim paperback reads as if it were the course notes for the various modules that Merrington teaches to his clients. The good thing about this is that each ‘bite-sized’ chapter deals with a particular aspect of the negotiation process. The downside of this modular structure is that there is bit of repetition that may be no bad thing in a live training context, but on the page comes across as padding.

My other quibble is that although the book refers on several occasions to the need for a ‘win–win’ in a negotiation, which leaves both parties with the conviction that they’ve got a good deal, his defined target audience is for agency people and I fear a client reader wouldn’t feel their side of the bargain is given enough weight.

I would have liked more on the context of the client–agency relationship in the chapter on procurement to set up the philosophical context in which a genuine win–win can be achieved. For example, while ‘Magic and Logic’ is referenced briefly at the end of the book, there is no discussion of one of its key outcomes, i.e. the reframing of the agency’s work in terms of inputs, outputs and outcomes. Nor is there any mention of the huge added value created for clients by the best agencies, as evidenced by the winning cases in the IPA Effectiveness Awards.

These additions would help move the discussion beyond the scope of work and people-hours, to a consideration of the value of the intellectual property that an agency creates for a client, and its impact on their brand in the marketplace. With these caveats I have no hesitation in recommending this book, especially since its easy-to-read format makes it more
likely that its lessons will be put to good use by time-pressured agency managers

Why do smart people make such stupid mistakes?, Chris Merrington, Ecademy Press, £14.99

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