Negotiation Skills

Negotiation is one of the most critical and powerful skills for businesses today. The expertise with which a transaction or contract is negotiated has a direct and potentially major impact on the bottom line.

How effective are your people at managing negotiations? Do they:

• Have a clear negotiation strategy, with pre-identified break point, clear trading parameters, risk assessment and contingency plan?
• Know at every step of the negotiation process what they are aiming to discover, communicate and achieve?
• Understand the personality profiles of their customers and tailor their approach and negotiation style accordingly?
• Know how to identify and handle the negotiation tactics regularly used by buyers to get what they want?
• Know how to communicate and trade value in a negotiation without relying on price?
• Know how to recognise the signals, upgrade the deal and secure agreement at the right time?
• Left a negotiation wondering, “Why is it that only the people who push their ideas the hardest, or speak the loudest, get heard around here?”

KONA’s world-class commercial approach to negotiation was honed in the constantly evolving and highly competitive Fast Moving Consumer Goods environment and can be adapted to meet the specific requirements of your business. If you are seeking a competitive advantage for a critical negotiation now or looking to build negotiation capability for the long-term, we will be delighted to assist you.

Expected Outcomes for your business and Negotiators include

• Enhanced profitability: it has been calculated that over 5% of operating costs can be saved through better negotiation (source: CEBR Research, 2009)
• Improved confidence and effective negotiation capability even in complex, high pressure situations
• The ability to employ the most successful negotiation strategies, assess risk and plan effectively
• The ability to own the negotiation, control the approach and improve the profit outcome
• The ability to identify and handle the negotiation tactics regularly used by buyers and tailor approach to different trading psychologies
• The ability to orchestrate trading across a complex range of concessions, not relying on price
• The ability to differentiate between the “overt” and “covert” positions of the other party to recognise real business needs, overcome barriers, manage conflict and secure the deal

KONA’s proven approach to Negotiation Skills development

KONA will assist you in strengthening your approach to negotiations to drive business value in the short and long-term through the proven ACTC process;

Phase 1 ASSESSMENT: Assess the ability of your negotiators through a selection of face to face interviews; on the job observations; psychometric testing.

Phase 2 CONSULTING: Consult back to your management team with our recommendations as to what needs to be done to build negotiation expertise and enhance the profitability of your business.

Phase 3 TRAINING: Facilitation of Negotiation training workshops directly tailored and aligned to your business, market and what your people need to be doing better or differently. Note: These workshops are NOT off the shelf, by the book, generic training courses.

Phase 4 COACHING: On the Job follow up and coaching is critical to ensure that training content is implemented and reinforced in the field and not left in the ‘classroom’. The coaching phase cements the transition from theoretical to practical application of the newly acquired behaviours, knowledge and skills, and importantly secures your ROI. Negotiation coaching is also available for one-off, critical negotiations.

To discuss your negotiation opportunities and how we can improve your bottom line please contact Glenn on 1300 611 288 or glenn@kona.com.au