POWER UP — Every Marriage Is a Negotiation | Joe Dillon

Joe Dillon — Every Marriage Is a Negotiation

Most couples know
how to argue.

Few know how to negotiate.

Twenty years of divorce mediation. Over a thousand couples. One pattern, every time: it was never about the money, the kids, or who forgot to empty the dishwasher. It was about conversations that never happened — or happened badly. POWER UP fixes that.

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30
years as a professional negotiator
1,000+
couples through mediation
98%
case resolution rate

"They didn't fail their marriage because they stopped loving each other. They failed because nobody ever taught either of them how to have a productive conversation that ends with concrete results."

— From Chapter 1: "I've Decided"

Seven steps. One acronym.
Infinite fewer nights on the couch.

P
Prepare the Connection
Get their real attention before you say a word.
O
Outline Your Request
Set the table. No ambushes, no surprises.
W
Weigh Their Perspective
Say their objection before they have to argue it.
E
Express Your Why
Give them something real to say yes to.
R
Reward With Value
There's got to be something in it for them.
U
Use Patience
Shut up and wait. Yes, really. It works.
P
Proceed Accordingly
Handle yes with grace. Handle no with curiosity.
"A reluctant yes is more expensive than an honest no."

One of Joe's rules. There are a lot more where that came from.

Joe Dillon

Joe Dillon

Divorce mediator, negotiation professional, and — with his wife Cheryl — living proof that knowing the framework doesn't make you immune to forgetting it. Joe trained at Harvard, MIT, and Northwestern, holds an MBA in Finance, and has spent two decades helping couples navigate the hardest conversations of their lives. This book is his best shot at putting himself out of business.