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Ensure To Look At These 2 Factors When Sourcing A Business Negotiation Initiative, It Will Cost You Otherwise
Supply individuals with a 'negotiation system'
Many suppliers of negotiation skills development programmes approach negotiation training as something that is complicated instead of complex - in other words, they advocate a method to negotiation that is sequential & linear (advocating for instance that there are a certain number of steps involving all negotiations).
This kind of complicated & linear approach will empower individuals & businesses with the tools to endure simple & one dimensional negotiations but will leave them dangerously unprotected in multi-party, multi-issue, complex negotiations.
It would be a good bet that almost all professional golfers are better golfers than their coaches. Why then do they employ trainers?
Because it is nearly impossible to analyse one's own game accurately. When at the top level of golf, as in any game, we understand that the borders between success and failure can be very small indeed. We learn through this affiliation that the professional golfer's coach understands that his 'master's' game is mostly excellent.
It is by paying attention to the small things that changes in outcomes are obtained.
Business negotiation is like golf in many ways. To be a rounded business negotiator, one needs to have mastered all the key elements that constitute leading practice in the field of negotiation.
A complete and rounded approach should be pursued that covers the four important elements of all negotiations: Vision, Value, Process & Relationship. As in golf, it is important that we first understand how we react in our negotiations when under pressure, before we learn to engage new skills.
Research proves that only 5 to 25 % of the material shared during a business negotiation engagement will be retained by delegates. So as to ensure the application of negotiation best practices in the workplace it is critical that individuals should be given a negotiation system aiming at:
* Provide them with a standardised negotiation preparation check list (ideally customised to support the organisation's negotiation strategy & process).
* Provide them with easy access to all the negotiation strategies, tactics & techniques that are useful to aid their negotiations.
You should safeguard not to focus on an academic training program that has little practical application within your industry. At the same time you don't want to focus on the equivalent of a street fighters negotiation course that is only focused on tactical negotiation tricks & techniques.
It is best to find a course that joins sound academically researched and validated rules with proven practical credentials.
Create a best practice negotiation supporting network
What happens after the training intervention? This is a very important question.
Will you provide the delegates with one on one coaching to help them apply the best practice principles to their professional negotiations?
Will you be doing short follow up sessions at regular intervals to reinforce the learning?
Will you develop a negotiation knowledge base so delegates can access experience & information already in the possession of the business?
As you can see, in many ways the training engagement is only the beginning of the process. To ensure maximum savings in time, reduction in expenses and increases in profits, it is essential that you develop and instill a best and leading practice based negotiating culture within your organisation.
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