Negotiation Skills Training: Enhancing Techniques for Sales and Procurement Success
Standardization of sales strategies and strategic sourcing across the industries has made strategies redundant and less effective over time since it has leveled out the playing field. In these cases, all the interacting parties, be it in sales or procurement are interacting with the same set of tools and strategies at hand. This has created a need for new strategies and specific negotiation skills training programs for the members of the sales and procurement teams. This new set of strategies must be innovative and give any organization that undergoes the training, a competitive advantage.
We can conduct negotiation skills training for sales and procurement teams after establishing a negotiation strategy and after assessing the requirement of the organization. In addition, the tools and techniques that we use can be effective by using case studies from the department itself. This would allow the trainees to relate to the specific instances, absorb the new methods quickly, and have no inhibition in transferring the learnings from the training to practice.
Levels of Negotiation Training
The first level of negotiation skills training is for the members to understand their own negotiation styles and preferences. This is the baseline considering which the individuals can incorporate the new strategies they learn. The second level includes the sales team having a good comprehension of strategic sourcing and other tactics that buyers take. The procurement team has to be knowledgeable in countering the negotiation skills that sellers utilize. All this takes place in accordance with how the organization functions. The third level is transferring the new negotiation skills and strategies through practical simulations.
These practical simulations can be based on real case scenarios that the employees have experienced while performing in the organization. The fourth level is the post-training assessment. Here, we give case scenarios to the trainees. These may be simple cases that the employees know beforehand. In contrast, complex scenarios are where obsolete strategies will not work and will require them to utilize the new strategies.
If the training session is about the executives in sales and procurement, the managers of the respective teams may become a part of the last level. Here, we make a personal development plan for every individual in collaboration with their managers. This ensures that the competencies gained during the session are carried over to the organization. In addition, it instills a sense of ownership of the progress in both the executives and the managers.
Why Negotiation Skill Training?
The impact of negotiation training on the sales and procurement teams is measurable within a few weeks after the completion of the training and development program. The ROI is usually ten times/more than the cost of the training program. The effects of the program are visible over 6 months to a year after completion of the training. Hence, negotiation skills make a core competency for the sales and procurement teams. Their effectiveness has been proven and training on the same would increase efficiency, growth, and profits in the organization.
Contact us if you are interested in a business training program that is tailored to the needs of your organization or team.
