Negotiation Training

First, we will discuss with you your requirements, the knowledge/skills/experience levels of those who will attend the training and the context around your impending negotiations. We usually deliver negotiating skills training as part of our clients’ preparation for planned negotiations, whether that be during a procurement process; a contract/service reshaping exercise; a performance improvement process, or as part of a contract termination exit & transition process.  Our training will prepare you for negotiating to achieve your required outcomes, whatever they may be.

We design your negotiation training programme to address your particular needs: a specific negotiation that is pending, the type of systems/services you are procuring, the market you are engaging with or the type of organisation you are and any regulations/standards you need to work with, and so forth. Wherever possible, we use real life examples from projects or procurements in progress to help attendees apply their learning to scenarios they are familiar with and put their learning into practice straight away.

We will take you through the three stages of our negotiation methodology: Strategic Planning, Preparation and Execution to ensure you are well prepared for all scenarios in your procurement and contracting process. You will learn the key steps involved in identifying client and supplier underlying interests which will inform the basis of your negotiation strategy.

We advise our clients to spend twice as long in preparing for the negotiation as the duration of the negotiation itself. Preparation involves all pre-reading, such as a supplier’s proposal, and as a group, identifying all of the issues or conflict areas that need to be discussed or closed down to achieve a successful negotiation. These items could include how the supplier could assure that its solution would be fit for its intended purpose, the contract terms, price, scope, proposed technology, licenses SLAs etc. You will also learn how to consider things from the supplier’s perspectives to understand the criteria which would motivate and incentivise them. This is an important step in ensuring a win-win outcome that will underpin a long-term successful delivery partnership relationship. 

An important part of negotiation preparations is for the client to identify the roles within the negotiation and structure an effective team accordingly. Having the right people with the right expertise in the right negotiation role is essential for achieving successful outcomes. We recommend four roles are filled during any negotiation:

1. Chair
2. Lead Speaker
3. Expert
4. Observer.

You will learn about the responsibilities of each role within the negotiation and the ideal characteristics/knowledge/capabilities of those fulfilling the roles.

Body language provides visual cues that can convey valuable information and help build rapport in face-to-face talks. Gestures and facial expressions can help negotiators understand each other’s tone. It is important to understand how body language can affect your negotiation outcomes and how to deliberately modify your own body language and therefore control your non-verbal communications.
You will learn how to read body language, gestures and expressions accurately and improve the positive role your own body language can play in the negotiation process.

We train client teams in the use of tools such as Information and Concessions Matrices, Agendas, Scripts and Opening Statements to ensure that the negotiation process is well structured and not vulnerable to surprises. We help teams to articulate their desired outcomes ensuring the whole team is fully conversant with the negotiation objectives and how they will prepare to reach an agreement.

Information and Concessions Matrices 
Each matrix has four quadrants named Get, Give, Keep and Surprise.  For the Information Matrix, we identify the information we need to get from the other side, the information we want to give the other side, the information we prefer not to reveal to the other side at each stage and what information would come as a complete surprise which would allow us to scenario plan in advance. The Concessions Matrix is a mirror of the Information Matrix but as any successful negotiation always includes some form of concessions, we take the time to identify what concessions we want to get from the other side, what concessions we are prepared to give to the other side (only once we receive a concession first), what concessions we want to keep and finally any surprises we can plan for.

Agreeing Meeting Agendas, Scripts and Desired Outcomes 
By completing the above matrices, you will have effectively identified the agenda, the outcomes and the script for the negotiation. The script ensures that the strategy for the execution is clearly articulated in advance and that everyone understands what to say (and more importantly what not to say) to keep negotiations on track. If any curveballs are thrown in by the supplier that had not been prepared for, then you will know to call an adjournment so this can be discussed as a team. This reduces the need for someone thinking they need to come up with something on the spot which could potentially de-rail the negotiation.

Drafting the Opening Statement 
BPG recommend that an Opening Statement should be drafted which would be used by the Chair to start the negotiation. The Opening Statement has three elements: Relationship, ‘Power’ and Agreement. You will learn the importance of each element and how to apply them to your negotiation scenario.

Preparing to Reach Agreement 
An important step, which is fully agreed with your team in advance of the negotiation, is preparing to reach an agreement. You will learn how to identify your BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) and your Realistic Settlement Zone (RSZ).

We understand that skills development is most effective when delivered as an ongoing support mechanism so we work with our clients to agree preferred approaches that will secure best outcomes. Qualified in the ROI Institute’s methodology for knowledge transfer, we structure our negotiation training and support to ensure it:

• Meets the needs of the client
• Provides an enriching experience for employees
• Is delivered in relevant and practical settings
• Can be put into practice, tested and consolidated while the learning is still fresh.