Negotiating Skills

Negotiating is something you can practice almost every day and practice is what it takes to become a competent negotiator.

That’s why participating in our two day negotiation skills course involves you in seven role play and simulation exercises.

You will learn proven ways to maximise your profit while helping the other party feel good about the result.

You will try out ways to get your ideas listened to and improve your listening skills in the process.

On this course find the hidden value that empowers you to achieve a win/win result.

Learn how to transform a combative opponent into a collaborating friend.   

Who Should Attend


Anyone whose effectiveness depends on his or her negotiation skills will benefit from participation. In particular, people responsible for customer agreements, and all those who negotiate supplier terms and conditions. Join this interactive two-day course to advance your negotiation skills and maximise your profit potential.  

Course Objectives

  • Increase profit and customer satisfaction
  • Develop negotiation skills through practice
  • Demonstrate how to deal with combative negotiation behaviour
  • Provide a method to guide preparation for negotiations
  • Study strategies for overcoming negotiation obstacles

 

Course Contents

Introduction and Definitions - Through discussion we discover and share perceptions of what negotiation is, and when and how negotiation takes place.

Deciding Strategy and Style - Through a simulation involving cars, participants explore combative negotiation and we draw out the principles that support effective combative negotiation. We contrast this with collaborative negotiation to emphasise the difference between the two paradigms.

Tricks and Ruses - Acknowledging that the other side will often adopt a combative stance, even when it is not in their best interests, we explain the numerous ploys that a negotiator will face. Through syndicate discussion, participants work on counters to selected ploys. Everyone shares their insights and we make sure all the important methods for handling the difficult ploys are understood.

Fundamentals - POSE - Using the acronym, we explain how to succeed using a simple structured approach that guides negotiators through preparation and exchanges with representatives of the other side.

Win/Win or Win/Lose - First, a short role-play exercise draws attention to the benefits of taking account for the other side’s win. We explain the necessary win/win philosophy of business-to-business negotiations. A more serious simulation allows participants to experiment with Win/Win principles.

Anticipation Check List - In preparation for a complex role-play, we introduce a negotiation-planning tool that participants use to prepare for the exercise.

Persuasion - In this module, we study the principles of persuasion and learn how to apply them using advanced questioning and listening techniques.

Negotiation Behaviours - Through a group role-play and syndicate discussions, participants identify positive and negative negotiation behaviours.

Making Concessions the Right Way - In a buyer-seller simulation, we explore the effect of price pressure and derive the best practice for achieving the optimum result.

Overcoming Impasse - Participants conduct a simulation based on a real life case study involving an apparently hopeless negotiation. Participants must use their creativity to find a solution and keep the negotiation going.

Making Changes - In this last module, we discuss ways to practice negotiation in every day situations. Participants review and prioritise the list of negotiation principles that they have drawn up over the course.

Negotiation Behaviours - Through a group role-play participants identify typical negotiation behaviours. We consolidate the list and divide it into helpful and unhelpful behaviours.

Making Concessions the Right Way - In this section we examine the roots of pricing pressure and study ways to resist it. In a multi stage role-play participants learn the right way to trade concessions.

Anticipation Check List - In preparation for a complex role-play that draws on all the skills covered, we introduce a checklist and negotiation planning tool that participants use to prepare for the exercise.

Overcoming Impasse - We use a real life case study and simulate the negotiation as a group in order to stimulate discussion and illustrate methods for keeping apparently hopeless negotiations on the rails.

Making Changes - In this last module we remind participants of the range of opportunities to practice negotiation in every day situations. We also provide an additional tool for effecting behavioural change after the course.