Make Sure To Look At These 2 Factors When Seeking A Business Negotiation Program, It Will Cost You Otherwise
Supply participants 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 an approach to negotiation that is sequential & linear (promoting for instance that there are a certain number of steps involved in all negotiations).
This kind of complicated & linear approach will empower individuals & organisations with the tools to endure simple & one dimensional negotiations but will leave them dangerously exposed in multi-party, multi-issue, complex negotiations.
It would be a good wager that most professional golfers are better golfers than their trainers. Why then do they employ trainers?
Because it is almost impossible to examine one's own game objectively. 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 detail that changes in results are obtained.
Business negotiation is similar to 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 method should be followed that covers the 4 key factors of all negotiations: Vision, Value, Process & Relationship. As in golf, it is vital that we first comprehend how we respond in our negotiations when under pressure, before we learn to engage new skills.
Research proves that only 5 to 25 % of the information shared during a business negotiation session will be retained by delegates. So as to guarantee the application of negotiation best practices at the office it is vital that individuals should be supplied with a negotiation system aiming at:
* Provide them with a standardised negotiation preparation check list (ideally customised to support the business negotiation strategy & process).
* Give them easy access to all the negotiation strategies, tactics & techniques that are beneficial to aid their negotiations.
You should safeguard not to focus on an academic training course 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 program that joins sound academically researched and validated rules with proven practical credentials.
Develop a best practice negotiation supporting network
What happens after the training course? This is a really important question.
Will you provide the delegates with 1-on-1 coaching to help them apply the best practice principles to their professional negotiations?
Will you be running short follow up sessions at regular intervals to strengthen the learning?
Will you develop a negotiation knowledge base so participants can access experience & information already in the library of the business?
As you can see, in many ways the training program is only the start of the process. To guarantee maximum savings in time, reduction in expenses and increases in profits, it is important that you create and instill a best and leading practice based negotiating culture within your business.