Why worry about negotiation

In a progressively more competitive business climate, we feel that those who will survive and prosper are those who know how to negotiate with confidence.

Negotiation is how we resolve our differences whether it is between customer and supplier or between one colleague and another. Its significance as a core skill grows on a daily basis, yet many people remain ineffectively trained in this all-important skill area.

Imagine the consequences of mistakes made during business negotiations. They could be devastating, leading to a loss of the best supplier or contractor, lost profit or a deal which will not work over time. Negotiating is a pressure cooker‚ job which demands highly specialised skills.

Negotiation takes place often without people realising it. But there is no mystique to becoming a skilled negotiator. Like all skills, it takes an under-pinning knowledge and hard hours spent practicing.

Above all, negotiation is one of the most positive ways in which individuals can add real value to the organisation either internally or externally. However, the amount of added value will be determined by the investment made in the training of effective negotiators.