Wine Business - Negotiation techniques and Cultural Competence

Born in London but raised amongst the coal mines of the north of England, my first negotiations involved trying to navigate a route through schools where children viewed me as different and ‘odd’ because I didn’t share their accent and I didn’t have a father who was a miner.

As an adult, by the time I’d left the world of social work and specifically child protection behind,where negotiating and advocating for the best and safest outcomes for children was a daily and very real struggle, the commercial world of wine initially seemed like it would be an easier alternative.

But becoming a business owner is never straightforward, a situation amplified when practising my newfound career in distinctly different parts of the world in both France and Taiwan. I had to re-examine not only my methods but also my cultural awareness; was I fit for purpose in a foreign land?

This illuminating class will focus on:

• How to become more culturally competent. Can you really be an effective negotiator without recognising some of the differences in cultural norms and expectations that exist around the negotiating table?
• How to ‘win’. Negotiation is so much more than simply agreeing on the price, value or cost of a product or service. Sometimes the person or business that you are negotiating with has considerably more power than you, so how can you ensure that you achieve the best possible outcome for you and/or your business?
• How not to give your product, service or expertise away for free

Attendees will be encouraged to question the ways in which they do things whilst considering how best to negotiate purposefully for both themselves and for their company/employer.

Everybody needs to be a better negotiator as it benefits not only your commercial life but your social life too. This class will open the door to that negotiator within us all by being both challenging, interactive and enjoyable. Many of you might leave surprised by just how capable you are at employing this key life-skill.

Instructor: Mark Pygott

All participants must be at least 21 years old.

Host or Publisher Commonwealth Wine School