Negotiation Training

What is negotiation?

Let's begin with an example:

You make parts for the auto industry. One day, your customer calls you up and demands a 5% price cut. Do you:

1. Say "no"
2. Suggest that you gave last year and perhaps it's someone else's turn this time.
3. Say that you don't really want to but that you are prepared to toss a coin to decide whether you should or not.
4. Suggest that your customer provides you with resources to investigate whether a price cut is possible without effecting the profitability of your company.
5. Offer a 5% price cut provided that your customer signs a five year guaranteed volume agreement for your parts.
6. Tell them you will sue for breach of contract.
7. Say you will let them know and forget to call them back.
8. Tell your employees and suppliers that you will be cutting their wages and prices by 5%.
9. Give in.

Of the above, only #5 is actually negotiation!

Let's look at what the other possibilities actually are.

#1 is refusal, for when you can live with the consequences but you can't live with the offer.

#2 is persuasion.

#3 is gambling.

#4 is problem solving

#6 is coercion

#7 is postponement

#8 is instruction and,

#9 is submission.

The first thing to learn about negotiation is that it is only one of the possible of resolving issues and finding out if there are terms for co-operation that are acceptable to both parties.

Our Approach

We offer two services.

Firstly, we offer a short course in negotiating consisting of lectures and workshops on either an individual or group/company basis. This covers distributive bargaining, preparation, debate and reaching agreement. It also covers negotiating styles and teaches you how to recognize common dominance, shaping and closing ploys.

Secondly, we offer a coaching service to guide you through specific negotiations.