Negotiation skills are used by all managers, either face-to-face or by telephone, both with external organisations and internally with colleagues. Beyond the world of 'buying and selling' managers use negotiation skills for a variety of reasons; project deadlines, human resource allocations, service delivery specifications, improved support, or increased budget allocation.

This negotiation skills for managers training course will provide delegates with support and guidance on how to employ practical negotiation skills to conduct win-win negotiations. Practical exercises exploring strategies for dealing with 'stand-offs' and 'sticking points' will enable participants to explore fully, how their own personal styleand attributes can be applied effectively/successfully to the negotiation process.

Course Objectives

Identify and negotiate the best deal/outcome possible.
Understand the key skills and processes necessary for successful negotiations.
Recognise the different approaches to the negotiating process and understand their implications.
Identify, develop and employ the interpersonal skills and techniques crucial to negotiating proactively.
Work on individual strengths and weaknesses to develop a personal style of negotiation that is powerful, sincere and effective.
Develop flexibility in your negotiation style to identify and practice individual/group behaviours that are helpful in negotiations.
Develop successful negotiating strategies that can be used according to the needs and demands of your organisation.
Look at the use of negotiation skills in both one-to-one and team-to-team negotiations.

Course Designed For

All managers, team leaders and supervisors who negotiate with suppliers, clients and colleagues both inside and outside their organisation. The course is particularly useful for those new to commercial negotiations and for those whose job performance is measured by successful outcomes strategies.

Maximum Number of Delegates

Eight

In-House Delivery Option Available

Yes

Introduction

The fundamental elements involved in negotiation
The skills required to be an effective negotiation
The stages of the win-win style of negotiation

Preparation

Preparation involved before starting a negotiation
Setting your maximum and minimum objectives for each negotiable issue
Valuing and identifying concessions and determining what you want in return
Identifying sources and types of information concerning the other side's position

Establishing the Climate

Using questioning techniques to identify a negotiator's maximum and minimum objectives
Recognising and reading signals from the other negotiator
The right and wrong type of question to ask in negotiations

Proposing

Effective ways of making and receiving proposals to aid agreement and avoid deadlock
Using counter-proposals to keep the negotiation progressing
Packaging the proposal to interest the other party
How to use creative thinking to develop options for mutual gain
Ways of testing your assumptions without making a commitment

The Skills of Bargaining

Valuing your concessions from the other side's point of view
Successful strategies when trading concessions
Using bargaining to build momentum and avoid deadlock
Reading the other side's negotiating position from the pattern of their concessions

Closing

Timing the close
Ways of testing when the other side is ready to close
Different types of closing techniques and how to use them
Key points when writing up the agreement at the end of the negotiation

Negotiation Strategies

Key factors which affect the choice of the appropriate negotiation strategy
Types of power in negotiations; how to recognise and use them
How the balance of power influences the choice of strategy

Negotiation Tactics

Examples of different types of tactics
How to use them; how to counter them
Tactics that can be used when in a low power or weak negotiation position

Team Negotiations

The difference between one-to-one and team-to-team negotiations
The different roles in a negotiating team and what each one does during the negotiation
Team negotiation strategies and techniques

Practical Exercises - Bringing it all Together

Practicing negotiating skills using role plays and exercises
Optional video recording for structured feedback of the negotiation skills process

£395 + VAT per Delegate

Discounts are available if 2 or more delegates from the same organisation attend the same course.

Please read 'How much does each course cost' on our FAQ's page for details.

In the competitive trading conditions of the twenty-first century, we are all under pressure to deliver better results. Buyers and sellers at the forefront of the commercial relationship and managers negotiating internally, all face increasing pressure to achieve more.

I have been struggling to achieve the kind of return that my employers wanted and didn't know why. Following this course I understand the reasons and have put into place an action plan to improve my results.

Buyer - UK Greetings Card Supplier

Now I have the knowledge and tools necessary to be able to conduct any negotiation as a collaborative rather than competitive negotiation.

Head Buyer - Private Health Care Supplier

Following this course I now understand how to make the most effective use of time available for negotiation preparation, appreciate the benefits of a wide range of persuasion techniques which are effective in commercial negotiations and have become aware of the most commonly used tricks, traps and ploys used in negotiation and more importantly, how to deal with them.

Head of Purchasing - European Animal Feeds Group