Negotiating Value

Target Audience:  Sales professional and anyone in organizations who negotiate with internal and external customers.

Length:  ½ day to one day

Key Issues Addressed:  In today’s time sensitive and rapidly changing business environment people must be able to negotiate differences in a way that allows for creative problem solving without damage to trust and future communications.  They must be able to create value and then not give it away. 

Program Overview: Participants examine the characteristics of successful negotiations and common negotiating challenges and mistakes.

Pre-negotiation preparation – One of the areas in which highly effective negotiators excel is in the way they prepare for negotiations.  For instance, before they meet with a colleague to discuss an issue, they:

• Try to look at the situation first from the other party’s point of view, they try to understand what the other person most needs and wants;
• Set high, but realistic, expectations for the negotiation based on a thorough understanding of their own needs and goals as well as the other party’s.  Then they development a “best case” proposal that will optimally meet each party’s needs;
• Anticipate the other par likely concerns and approach to the negotiation; and
• Prepare creative options that will be acceptable to both sides and help keep the discussion from deteriorating into an argument or a win-lose outcome.

Negotiation – Some keys to success in the actual face-to-face negotiation are aligning expectations, clarifying and confirming interests and influencing the other party’s perception of acceptable outcomes.  Several exercises underscore how important the process of negotiation can be in determining whether the parties to a negotiation are satisfied with the results.  Participants learn a number of key negotiating skills including setting the climate, uncovering the other party’s key issues, setting high but defendable negotiating positions, resisting pressure for concessions, and coming up with creative options for win-win solutions.

Post-Negotiation – After the negotiation is over, critical steps include realigning expectations, assessment and follow-up and laying the ground work for more positive future communications. 

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