Negotiation Strategy Workshops

Mistakes in process, not price, derail most negotiations. Refocus on process management, not chasing final outcomes. Master a six-step framework that transforms chaotic haggling into calm, value-creating negotiations. Thirty years of global supply deals show 68 % of failures stem from poor process, not price gaps. During my two keynotes on Procurement Negotiation at last week’s "Conference on Manufacturing Management" hosted by McGill University, a group of seasoned leaders landed on one blunt truth: Performance soars when you chase process over outcome. Here's how to do it: 1️⃣ Prepare: ↳ to know what you don’t know. 2️⃣ Build trust:  ↳ Separate the person from the problem to spark problem-solving. 3️⃣ Exchange info on interests, priorities, preferences:  ↳ Hunt the motives behind positions. 4️⃣ Expand the pie:  ↳ Spot trade-offs and craft options that maximise joint value. 5️⃣ Claim your slice:  ↳ Negotiate firmly for a meaningful share of that bigger pie. 6️⃣ Write it down:  ↳ Ink a clear, implementable deal that everyone can follow. When a car battery supplier tried a 12 % hike on a client last quarter, we ran these six moves. ↳ Price dropped 3 %, delivery windows shrank, and trust spiked—because process, not pressure, did the heavy lifting. Known process, unknown outcome: control what you can, and the result improves itself. Tell us about a time shifting from outcome-chasing to process-crafting saved (or sank) your negotiation. What changed and why? Share your spin. Save this list before your next vendor call. ♻️ Pass it on if a teammate needs smoother deals. #negotiationbydesign #procurementstrategy  

Todd Caponi built his career on a radical idea: tell buyers about your flaws. Also, he knows how to ride a unicycle. Let's focus on the former for now.... Look, most sales leaders would throw you into a vat of acid for telling prospects why you suck. Todd turned it into the 6th best sales book of all time (per our bffs at Book Authority). The Transparency Sale challenged conventional wisdom in a way that sales books hadn't for ages. Todd's thesis: the harder you push, the more buyers resist. The more transparent you are about flaws, the more they trust your strengths. The more you acknowledge competitive alternatives, the more credible your differentiation becomes. Basically, more behavioral science, less bro science. Most negotiation training teaches reps to be used car salesmen. You know the move - dodge the pricing question, create false urgency, hold firm until they cave. Todd teaches reps to be trusted advisors instead. Which turns out to be way more effective when buyers can Google your pricing during the demo. Fortunately for sellers everywhere, he's joining Sales Assembly as our newest Executive in Residence, teaching the Negotiation Certification. He'll be leading 4 modules each quarter next year built strictly on decision science: 1. Pricing Integrity & The 4 Levers. Stop discounting your way out of value conversations. Todd's framework gives reps actual alternatives - timelines, payment terms, scope, service levels. Basically everything except slashing margin because the buyer asked nicely. 2. Addressing Common Concession Requests. Every rep gets hit with discount requests. Most panic and immediately cut 15%. Todd teaches systematic responses that preserve deal value while actually strengthening buyer trust. Revolutionary concept: you can say no without torpedoing the deal. 3. Addressing Advanced Concession Requests. When buyers demand pilot programs, liability caps, or extreme discounts, most reps fold or flee. Todd's advanced strategies turn these into collaborative problem-solving instead of hostage negotiations. 4. The Foundation for Successful Outcomes. Negotiation doesn't start at contract review. It starts at first discovery. Todd teaches reps how to introduce pricing early, build value systematically, and position the whole thing as partnership discussions instead of "gotcha" moments at the end. So, a natural question would be...why listen to Todd? Well, I'm glad you asked. He's a multi-time C-level sales leader who guided companies through successful exits. Now he applies these frameworks with revenue teams every day. Plus he's got the research chops to back it up - hundreds of studies on buyer psychology, decision-making patterns, and trust-building mechanisms. Turns out when you stop acting like you're hiding something, buyers stop assuming you're hiding something. Groundbreaking research, I know. Someone should write a book about it. Oh wait.

How your emotions are costing you millions in the boardroom. In negotiations, emotions can be your biggest liability.  For example: 👉 The vendor you loathe?   You walk away from deals that serve your interests—just to "win."  👉 Trust a partner too much?   You give away value without realizing it.  I’ve seen this happen in boardrooms more often than you’d think.  And it’s costing companies millions.  That’s why I teach the "Friends & Foes" principle. It's straightforward: Focus on the deal, not the person across the table. Negotiations aren’t about the people. They’re about the issue. But our emotions blur that line.  When we like someone, we bend too far backward.   When we dislike someone, we sabotage ourselves out of spite.  The solution? Separate the person from the problem. Here’s how I help my clients do this:  1️⃣ Play "Friends & Foes": In my workshops, we run this exercise:   - Negotiate with a "friend" (someone you trust).   - Then switch to a "foe" (someone you distrust).  For every decision, ask yourself:   - Would I make the same choice if this were the other person?  If the answer is "no," your emotions are influencing you.  2️⃣ Reframe the negotiation: - Replace “Who am I dealing with?” - With “What am I solving?”   - Focus on facts, data, goals, - Not relationships.  3️⃣ Build Emotional Detachment: This isn't about becoming cold. It's about staying clear-headed so you can spot real opportunities, no matter who presents them. Here's what this looks like in real life: Imagine you're about to turn down a vendor's proposal because their past mistakes made you angry. But their new offer could save your company six figures. Using the "Friends & Foes" principle, you’d:  - Remove your personal grudge.   - Assess the deal objectively.   - Make the decision that - Serves your business, - Not your emotions.  That’s the power of separating people from problems.  Are your emotions undermining your negotiation outcomes?  Let’s fix that.  Join my Negotiation Mastery Workshop to learn:    ✅ How to neutralize emotional biases.   ✅ The "Judgment-Free Zone" framework.   ✅ Advanced strategies to protect your interests at every table.  Want to stop leaving money on the table? DM me to secure your spot. ---------------------------------- Hi, I’m Scott Harrison and I help executive and leaders master negotiation & communication in high-pressure, high-stakes situations.  - ICF Coach and EQ-i Practitioner - 24 yrs | 19 countries | 150+ clients   - Negotiation | Conflict resolution | Closing deals 📩 DM me or book a discovery call (link in the Featured section) 

Why Every Negotiator Needs a Trainer The best in every field seek guidance to reach the highest levels of success. Elite athletes work with coaches. Best-selling authors rely on editors. Even therapists seek therapy to sharpen their skills. Why should negotiation be any different? Negotiation is not just about knowing tactics—it’s about mastering strategy, psychology, mathematical precision, and the ability to adapt in real-time. A skilled trainer helps you break down complex deals, quantify trade-offs, and structure agreements that maximize value for all parties. Without expert guidance, you risk falling into bad habits, miscalculating value, or overlooking key financial opportunities. I have written 27 books, and even with my experience, my editor still improves the script considerably. No matter how experienced an author I am, I could not publish a quality book without the editors involved. Their outside perspective, refinement, and expertise take my work to a higher level. The same applies to negotiation—without a coach or trainer, you might think you are performing at your best, but you are likely leaving opportunities untapped. One of the most powerful tools in elite negotiation training is simulation-based learning, where participants engage in live negotiations that are recorded and analyzed. This process provides critical feedback on their performance, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Seeing yourself negotiate—your tone, posture, phrasing, and decision-making—offers a level of self-awareness that traditional learning cannot match. In SMARTnership Negotiation, training is not just an advantage—it is a necessity. A negotiation trainer helps you:  - Enhance your ability to recognize hidden value (NegoEconomics)  - Apply mathematical modeling to quantify the benefits of collaboration  - Strengthen your trust-building techniques (TrustCurrency)  - Develop analytical skills to assess risk, cost structures, and financial impact  - Receive recorded feedback on your negotiation style to refine strategies  - Move beyond adversarial tactics into true collaboration Success is never a solo journey. The best negotiators, like the best athletes and professionals, invest in mentorship, training, and continuous feedback. Because in negotiation, just like in writing, sports, and business, those who review their performance and refine their skills achieve the greatest wins. Are you ready to elevate your negotiation game? Gražvydas Jukna Tine Anneberg Jason Myrowitz Juan Manuel García P. Moïse NOUBISSI Francis Goh, FSIArb, FCIArb Darryl Legault Francisco Cosme World Commerce & Contracting BMI Executive Institute UCLouvain I BMI Executive Institute AAU Executive - MBA and HD at Aalborg University #negotiation #negotiation

Two weeks before contract signature, my incumbent supplier added £240,000 to the price. And I was meant to be on a flight to Spain. 9 months of procurement work Countless stakeholder workshops. A high-profile transformation hanging in the balance Now, my “done deal” had just exploded in cost Egg about to be smeared all over my face My CIO was saying: “We can’t delay. Just make it happen.” Instead of wine with my husband and parents in Alicante, I was pacing my flat in Manchester. Back then, I had plenty of negotiation tactics in my head. But my “strategy” was really just random acts of tactics. A push-back here A vague threat to re-tender there An awkward silence for good measure There was no system No process Just grasping Since then, I’ve built a step-by-step procurement negotiation framework I use whenever a supplier tries to move the goalposts. Here are my first 4 with real procurement examples: 1️⃣ Re-anchor to value before price Suppliers want you focused on the increase. You want them focused on the deal. "Before we talk numbers, let’s recap what’s on the table so we’re aligned." Spend 3-4 minutes on: 🔹The business problem 🔹Why they were selected (unique capabilities) 🔹The agreed scope 🔹The business impact if delayed Example: "This upgrade eliminates £500k a year in manual workarounds and is on track for a Q4 launch, which is critical for your client references in this sector." Now a pure “price increase” conversation is twice as hard for them to win. 2️⃣ Get all the asks on the table When you re-anchor, they’ll hit you with one demand. Example: "We need two extra consultants to meet your timeline." Don’t solve it yet. "If we worked with you on that, what else would be in the way of moving forward?" Keep asking until they say: “Nothing else.” Then confirm: "So if we resolved X, Y, Z, there’s nothing else stopping us from signing?" 3️⃣ Stack rank their demands Suppliers will give you a laundry list, new resources, extended payment terms, travel expenses.... Make them prioritise: "Which is most important to you, and which least?" Now you can decide where to give a little to protect what really matters. 4️⃣ Uncover the real driver If you negotiate only on what they ask for, you’re bartering. You need the why. Example: "What’s driving the need for two extra consultants?" 🔸Maybe they’re short-staffed 🔸Maybe it’s risk avoidance 🔸Maybe they’ve overpromised internally Once you know, you can: 💠 Offer your own project resources for certain tasks 💠 Shift non-critical deliverables to phase two 💠 Negotiate a capped rate for the additional consultants That 2016 project? The supplier walked away with scope they could deliver comfortably. We walked away £180k under their revised ask. And I still caught the last two days with my family in Spain. -- Enjoyed this? I write more Procurement stories in my newsletter. Link in my highlights.