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Negotiation Skills Masterclass

2 Part Course  |  Learn and develop, both, confidence and self-belief in your inherent negotiation skills

Negotiation Skills Masterclass Training

A one-day course presented in two half-day live webinars from 9:30am to 1:00pm UK time

Video Overview

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and meet your trainer.

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  • We have delivered this negotiation skills training course over many years and we are well aware of the nuances and requirements of different types of financial institutions. Whatever your background, we can help you.
  • We are a market leader in soft skills training, having delivered many workshops both publicly and on a private client basis. The feedback from delegates has always been excellent.
  • All our trainers have reached very senior positions in their former careers and are acknowledged subject matter experts with real-world experience. We don’t use academics for hands-on training.
  • The negotiation skills training course is designed to be non-hostile and non-threatening and uses group exercises where more than one delegate participates as part of a hypothetical negotiation and negotiating team. Nobody is forced to work alone, but there is the option to do so. All delegates report that this flexibility is a key differentiator.
  • The case studies used are based on real-life examples and are designed to be challenging as well as good fun. All delegates report that these are a high point.
  • Redcliffe has been in business for more than 20 years and is an established market leader, so you can trust us to deliver your training needs.
  • We are always judged by our results, which speak for themselves and we thrive on recommendations and repeat business.

  • To learn about objectives of negotiation skills and to understand that we can all negotiate competently; the challenge we all face is to develop both self-confidence and self-belief.
  • To learn some “tricks of the trade” and to avoid using a “caveman brain” instead of a “logical brain” by knowing where the “hot buttons” are
  • Understand what negotiation means in business and/or commercial context and how existing skills needed for negotiation can be either honed or improved
  • Learn how to hone/improve/acquire better negotiation skills development through practice and technique and by watching more experienced colleagues in action in the workplace
  • Recognise that for important negotiations, there is no substitute for detailed planning and thorough preparation
  • Understand some of the science and why it matters such as “interests” and their impact on the outcome, options, BATNA and WATNA in negotiation, giving and receiving concessions, win-win and other similar elements
  • Learn how to construct and deliver proposals confidently
  • Learn how best to deal with challenging negotiations and to recognise that for some this is merely a high-stakes “game”
  • Understand and through understanding learn how to master the psychological elements of negotiations with negotiation methods
  • Learn the power of an effectively communicated “No” and when to stand your ground generally
  • Learn when it’s time to walk away but with dignity and keep relations cordial
  • Accepting that you can’t “win them all” by dealing with “defeat” gracefully and trying to preserve the relationship where possible.

Part One

Introduction

  • What are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to negotiation?
  • What do we mean by negotiation?
  • How does it differ from persuasion?
  • The Process of Negotiation
  • The “soft” parts of the negotiation
  • The importance of behavioural elements
  • The importance of psychological elements
  • Setting realistic and achievable objectives in the negotiation
  • The minimum communication skills needed for effective negotiation
  • Assessing information in real-time
  • Establishing rapport and setting parameters
  • Is a Win-Win situation a realistic goal?
  • Ice-Breaker: Two to Four participants - A mega-famous but aging footballer is looking for his last big contract with the club he has served throughout his career. He knows, as does the club, that personal problems and some lack of consistency are an issue, but the club still makes a fortune from shirt sales and other image rights. With either the player and his agent or the club officials authorised to negotiate, can an acceptable deal be reached?

The “Interests”

  • What does this mean?
  • What is the significance of interests?
  • Understanding the difference between positions and interests
  • Identifying and prioritising your interests
  • Identifying and understanding the clients/counterparties’ interests
  • Common mistakes when handling interests
  • When is hard bargain negotiating a good idea?
  • The critical elements of an effective negotiation
  • Exercise: Two to Four participants. “Closure” - a deal will not close and expire soon and you have been sent to see the clients by the CEO to establish why there are delays. Can you get the deal completed by the expiration date? 

The “Options”

  • What do we mean by this term?
  • Planning and preparing for options
  • Having a clear idea of deal breakers
  • Generating and evaluating possible options
  • Identifying your ideal outcome
  • Identifying your minimum acceptable outcome
  • Common errors when generating options
  • Exercise: Two to Four participants. “The Downsize”, as main board directors, try to persuade two junior but respected department heads to lose some of their people as part of a cost-cutting exercise. Will you achieve your goal, or will your colleagues get their way instead?

Part Two

Understanding Negotiation Outcomes

  • The importance of setting an option matrix
  • Evaluate the options
  • Being realistic about where you think it will end
  • Is there a “win” or would a near-win compromise be better?
  • Setting clear objectives during the negotiation
  • Being prepared to lose when it makes commercial sense
  • When to say no and be prepared to walk away
  • Exercise: Two to Four participants – A client calls as a business owner, to share with you that they are reluctant to sign off on a deal you have brokered and for which approval will soon expire. The reasons may not be as straightforward as they seem. Can you put their minds at rest, or not?

The Negotiating Process – soft skills

  • What are soft skills and why do they matter?
  • Making proposals and giving and receiving concessions
  • Breaking Deadlock by avoiding the T junction in the first place
  • Agreeing on a remedy
  • Understanding the negotiator’s role
  • Keeping it professional – never personal
  • The key stages of the process
  • Giving information to help the flow
  • Reading signals or having a member of your team for this role
  • Using the initial plan as a guideline – but not too rigidly.
  • Avoid too many assumptions until they are tested
  • Expect the unexpected occasionally
  • Managing the meeting/discussion process
  • Probing in order to develop an understanding
  • Reaching agreement – even if it’s only a baby step
  • Exercise: Two to Four participants. “Master of the Universe”, you are summoned to a meeting with the CEO and deputy. You are certain this is a long-overdue promotion. Be prepared to negotiate the best possible terms.

Challenges of Negotiation – psychological elements

  • Dealing with different types of people
  • Key personality traits – most of us are a mix
  • Behavioural approaches & body language
  • The professional aggressor
  • Deadlocks, Standstills & Concessions
  • Tricks, Traps & Tactics – but be careful, use these sparingly and avoid if they fail
  • When & Where to Negotiate – Electronic Media and telephone are not ideal
  • Exercise: Two to Four participants - “The Presentation”. You are asked to present a detailed synopsis of your product/service to clients, Will you be able to give them enough detail?

Course Conclusion

  • Summary
  • Debrief

The trainer had a highly successful, long and varied “fast track” career in Lloyds Bank, which led him to a very senior management position in the bank’s private banking and wealth management division at an early age. He was then “head hunted” to join a merchant bank at the main board director level to head the risk management function. The trainer now has over 40 years of experience in the UK banking and financial services sectors. He volunteered in both of his career roles to design, create and deliver soft skills training to colleagues at all levels of seniority, mainly because he enjoyed it and received consistently good feedback from delegates.

The trainer has been a freelance soft skills training consultant since retiring and is currently an external Master Trainer at both HSBC, and Bank of China, where he has delivered soft skills training on a wide range of topics. At HSBC, he helped screen and assess both prospective and existing trainers for soft skills capabilities and has delivered the training programmes. At Bank of China, he has designed and successfully delivered a comprehensive presentation skills programme. He has created and delivered soft skills training to a vast range of clients, from global giants to small firms and partnerships. He is an accomplished global trainer and has delivered extensive programmes in the UK, USA, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

He is a highly adaptive, hands-on and highly sought-after facilitator who always receives excellent feedback from delegates. He is comfortable training at any level of seniority and experience, from “black belts” to novices. In addition to his soft skills specialization, his expertise includes but is not limited to Risk Management, Trade Finance, Regulatory Compliance, FCC & AML and all aspects of Corporate, Private & Retail Banking.

This trainer also teaches Presentation Skills Course for Finance & Other Professionals and Business Development & Marketing Skills For Financial Services Professionals.

Every one of us is born with both communication and good negotiation skills, or we would never make it into adulthood. These are both inherent talents. This highly interactive negotiation skills course starts from the assumption that delegates can already negotiate to some degree but want to move on to the next stage and beyond.  The good news is that the only difference between a black belt negotiator and everyone else is merely a combination of plenty of practice and learned/acquired techniques.

There is probably no such thing as a natural negotiator, even the best negotiators do so by refining their skills and planning important meetings very carefully beforehand. There is no doubt that the more prepared you are for a meeting or negotiation, the better the outcome and the quicker your skills will improve. It is as simple as that.

This “How to Improve Negotiation Skills” Course will help delegates become masters at the art of negotiating the “win-win” outcome i.e. acquiring win-win negotiation skills so often mentioned in selling textbooks. It examines the best ways of dealing with customers of all types while remaining mindful that the principles of fairness, seeking mutual benefit and maintaining a relationship are the keys to a successful outcome. Hard selling works, sometimes  but usually only once. Negotiated sales generate repeat business and ultimately, longer-term relationships.

Number of places:
Part 1
Number of places:
Part 2

£ 595.00

Per participant per part

Discounts available:

Book multiple places on both parts in one order for the below discounts:

  • 2+ places at 40% less = £ 714.00
    per person
  • 4+ places at 50% less = £ 595.00
    per person
  • 6+ places at 60% less = £ 476.00
    per person
  • 9+ places at 70% less = £ 357.00
    per person
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