An innovative approach to negotiation skills training
The Challenge
Negotiation skills training has traditionally focused on the event itself and the process surrounding these interventions. Many retailers have also used consultancies to help drive ‘supplier value initiatives’ which focus on category and product analytics. Often though these initiatives are viewed in isolation resulting in a lack of continuity between them or an ongoing legacy of skills within the business allowing more determined long term gains to be obtained.
The Solution
Enviva’s approach to Negotiation for Buyers gives an equal emphasis to the financial, planning and event management skills required to effectively lead detailed negotiations with suppliers. This involves:
- Interventions delivered at the category level, so that the material can incorporate ‘live’ product data and be timed to coincide with key vendor negotiations
- A series of workshops and coaching sessions ensuring appropriate training is delivered, ranging from detailed technical content bespoke to the company’s systems, processes and tools, to strategic elements which build on existing experience within the category teams
- Financial topics including product profitability and management of the value drivers, obtaining relevant data sets, analytical skills for interpreting information and modelling the opportunity and presenting data to vendors
- Negotiations topics including creating the ask (incentives and credible threats etc), planning structure, tactics and communications, event tactics and countermeasures, dealing with conflict and deadlock, personal styles and cultural differences
The Benefits
- Category teams are able to simulate forthcoming negotiations under realistic conditions
- Consistent financial analysis allows categories to develop a coherent and sustainable way of working with vendors
- The business obtains both short term wins and longer term benefits from the negotiation process
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"I have worked with Enviva for several years and am continuously impressed by the effectiveness of their coaching assignments with our executive population, always being able to flex to the specific needs of the individual leader. Undoubtedly, Enviva has helped many of our senior leaders make more profitable business decisions, helping them become increasingly confident in the financial aspects of business performance and strategy."
Nigel Jeremy
Head of Learning Recruitment and Organisational Development
Marks and Spencer -
"It's what a well run workshop should be - enjoyable, informative and above all, useful."
"Well structured ideas presented in easily intelligible and entertaining way." -
"Enviva has been instrumental in the delivery of Alliance Medical's change programme. Their consultants got to know our business quickly and their engagement with Alliance management and external stakeholders has been excellent. They understood our cost efficiency brief very well and worked alongside our management teams in order to help them deliver significant cost savings.
Overall Enviva has helped us improve how we structure our change projects. We are now far more disciplined in how we approach and deliver change."Guy Blomfield
Group Chief Executive Officer
Alliance Medical -
"This is the first time I have enjoyed finance training!"
"Good pace, really helped embed our business plan." -
"Enviva consistently deliver training which is relevant to managers' day jobs and, crucially, pitched at just the right level to ensure full engagement of participants. Their style is both challenging and humorous, and their abundance of energy and passion for the subject means there is never a dull moment. I will continue to recommend Enviva to a number of our partner companies."
Mike Quinton
Managing Director
Churchill Retail -
"Trainer very perceptive and challenging. Great course, really enjoyed it"
"Very informative and has given me a real insight into what I am about to do next with my teams." -
"Enviva took time to really understand our needs, tailored the course material to make it relevant and Rathbone specific for the practical exercises. The preparation, delivery and follow up sessions were all conducted in a professional and friendly approach, which made it very easy and enjoyable to work with the Enviva team.
My team found the training thought provoking and resulted in a focus on benefits and outcomes when delivering change projects."Iain Ranson
Head of projects and change management
Rathbones -
"Excellent - certainly lived up to Enviva's ethos - Engage, Enlighten, Enhance"
"Trainer - fabulous, kept us interested in the subject all day - flew by!!" -
"It was great to work closely with Enviva prior to the training as the content was purely driven by our business requirements and not steered towards pre determined/pre-written content. The delivery of the day was interesting and at a great pace, all colleagues walked away being impressed with the course, which is unusual for such detailed finance modules.
A great company to use to deliver financial understanding at all levels I would definitely use again in the future."Paul Read
Head of Central Operations & Reverse Logistics
Dixons Retail plc. -
"Engaged throughout, even though subject matter could have been difficult"
"Trainer - first class - great balance between content and humour"
We feel very privileged working with some of the UK's leading companies
supporting key change initiatives through our blend of structured development
and powerful delivery. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss how our
capability could benefit your organisation.