OUR NEGOTIATING PHILOSOPHY

Every negotiation is different, but more than that - negotiating behaviours and styles differ and change according to what we and the other party think is the best way to maximise results. We have to be aware of this. The best negotiators are able to deal with any behavioural style and control the negotiation in order to get the best for them.

STOPPING MANIPULATION

"You need to reduce your price or we will stop doing business with you" "Your competitors give us a better deal"

People manipulate in negotiation, indeed the biggest and most powerful businesses in the world often manipulate the most. The key is to spot manipulation whenever it occurs and control it. Let the other party know that manipulation will not work.

We cover techniques that allow individuals to do this, without allowing the other party to loose face, and focusing the negotiation on value adding and positive outcome for both parties.

FANATICAL ABOUT TRADING

Never give something away without getting something in return! Only ever give a better deal if the other party give you something which you value more.

Easy to say, difficult to do - but remember that the moment you give something away for free (reduce your price, improve their terms etc...) just because they have demanded or asked for it, or refuse to buy your product without it - that is the moment you have taught them that the way to get more is to keep demanding more, make more threats. Teach them that they have to give you something in return.

We are fanatical about trading professionally, using pre-prepared variables, for which you know the cost and value, and making a proposal in a conditional, clear and confident manner.

GETTING TO COLLABORATION

Very rare in business negotiation! "What?" I hear you say, "We have a great relationship..... "

Where both sides truly trust each other fully and focus on what they can do for the other party. True collaboration is very rare in business negotiation, but because we want it to be true we rely on 'Relationship' and hope. To make true collaboration work takes great skill and just as important the right mentality - from both sides.

Collaboration is, more often than not our aim in negotiation, we want to know that the other party have our backs and want our business long term.

We focus on how to get to collaboration, how to build genuine trust so that when it is appropriate we make the most of it.

HIGHER LEVELS OF AMBITION

Stop negotiating with yourself! Be aware of your own pressures - "We need this business", or "We can't afford to lose it" but don't allow this to reduce the value of your proposition.

Ask for more! Yes, that's right, ask for more - of course it has to be credible, and actually - don't ask - tell, your confidence and the language that you use is all important here. So many deals are done at or near that all important walk-away point, but they don't need to be. Next time you buy something, just ask for more - see what happens, it won't work every time, but the moment it does you will do it every time.

The behavioural skills, body language, words, the planning to do this are the starting point to our negotiation training, and in addition to this we will look at techniques to help you protect your walk-away point.

WHAT ELSE?

Confident and weak language, we will take a look at some preparation tools - preparing for what they will say and do as well as what we will say and do, how to negotiate when there is more than one of us on each team, how to brief and get sign off within our business before the negotiation and much more.