About the Course
Our Advancing Negotiation Skills (A.N.S.) course launches tens of thousands of people into negotiation training every year. The highly interactive sessions include a challenging mix of practical exercises, online tools, video analysis and bite-sized lectures from expert coaches.
A.N.S. prepares people of all ages, backgrounds and levels to become successful negotiators; equipping trainees with a proven methodology and changing their behaviour in negotiation situations. The A.N.S. is perfectly suited to anyone within your business who negotiates at some level, whether that’s external or internal negotiations. We train people across all functions: Sales / Commercial; Purchasing / Procurement; Learning & Development and many more.
Especially for the SBM Offshore Scotwork has designed a program consisting of 3 course days. All the theory of the Scotwork 8 Steps will be covered, but for the vast majority of the training you will take part in 5 Case Plays especially developed for the training and be actively involved in preparing, conducting, reviewing and analysing negotiations.
During the training you will be in different groups for each case play, which will allow you to work with several colleagues.
What does A.N.S. teach?
MASTERING THE ART OF CONTROL
Knowing where and how to take control is the cornerstone of good negotiating technique
FOCUSING ON PRIORITIES
Our Preparation Tool cuts through complexity by defining clear goals and priorities
UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS
Knowledge of our eight-stage process helps navigate the twists and turns of dealmaking
OUR EXPERT NEGOTIATORS WILL SHARE OVER 100 POWERFUL, PRACTICAL AND EFFECTIVE TEACHING POINTS COVERING
- How to get more CONFIDENCE in negotiations?
- Understand the "Scotwork 8 steps" and use them to gain CONTROL over the process
- To analyse and influence the POWER BALANCE
- To recognise and use opportunities to negotiate
- Choosing the BEST METHOD to resolve the conflict
- Do a thorough PREPARATION before each negotiation
- Set the right OBJECTIVES and test LIMITS
- Improving the QUALITY of information exchange
- Should you give or not give INFORMATION?
- How to develop NEGOTIATING STRATEGIES?
- Recognise, interpret and act on SIGNALS
- How to prepare a strong OPENING of the negotiation
- How to value and give CONCESSIONS?
- Asking EFFECTIVE questions during information exchange
- Dealing with GOOD (BETTER) ARGUMENTS FROM THE OTHER PARTY
- Dealing with REASONABLE AND UNREASONABLE demands from the other party
- Making, pitching and responding to proposals
- Responding to and handling COMPLAINTS
- Defusing AGGRESSION and CONFRONTATION
- Handling DEADLOCKS
- Recognizing and responding to common NEGOTIATION TACTICS
- EFFECTIVE use of TIME-OUTS
- Understanding the difference between UNWILLINGNESS and INABILITY
- Learning the secrets of VALUE CREATION in your negotiations
- Getting all negotiating points OVER THE TABLE
- Improving recognition and use of CLOSING OPPORTUNITIES
- Using TEAM negotiating skills
- Build long-term "PARTNERSHIP RELATIONSHIPS" with customers and/or suppliers
Course content
Negotiation is an (inter-)active process. This is reflected in our learning model whereby approximately 80% of the time is spent applying the theory in Case Play exercises. The unique Scotwork Case Plays are especially developed with an eye on the learning objectives to be achieved and are geared to the context in which the participants find themselves in their daily negotiations.
The general learning objectives of this program can be summarized as follows:
- Understand the structure of all negotiations and learn how to use it to manage all negotiation processes
- Identify the right skills and techniques that successful negotiation is all about
- Practice and build these skills in a constructive learning environment under the guidance of Scotwork Negotiation Experts
- Achieve behavioral changes that produce greater trust, better deals, faster agreements and a significant return on investment
Scotwork Case Plays
An important part of the course is the performance of the unique Scotwork Case Plays. These Case Plays present you with a series of business conflict situations in which you are given the opportunity to reach an agreement. Given the time constraints, the aim is to perform the negotiation steps AS BEST AS POSSIBLE.
Of course, it is nice when a deal is done, but it is not an end in itself. Sometimes it can be enlightening to find out exactly why no agreement was reached.
The business conflicts are deliberately not set in your everyday working environment. We do this to create a 'level playing field' for all participants and to focus on the negotiation itself rather than the content of the case.
Each case play is recorded and then analysed by the consultant. What went well, what could be improved and are there alternatives?
Before and after the course
CAPABILITY SURVEY
Before training, participants are encouraged to give us insight into their organisation and its approach to negotiation, via our online Capabilty Survey. This, combined with stakeholder analysis, allows our consultants to focus the training on optimising outcomes for the organisation as well as the individual
POST-COURSE SUPPORT
Once A.N.S. is completed, participants use their Personal Development Plan as a roadmap to hone their skills over time. They also gain free access to the Scotwork Toolbox. Here they can access downloadable course materials, use the Preparation Tool for pre-negotiation planning, embed learning through interactive consolidation modules, recap with insightful videos and our E-Learning Consolidation Modules and access resources written by our experts.