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Description

Negotiation Tactics: Decoding Manoeuvres, Withstanding Pressure and Responding

Two days to recognise your counterpart's tactics and hold your position without damaging the relationship

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

An experienced negotiator may know the method yet still be outmanoeuvred by the other party's behaviour. A prolonged silence, a threat to consult competitors, a manufactured deadline or the reopening of a point already agreed. Pressure leads to concessions on positions that careful preparation had secured.

These 14 hours of training build on process mastery by working on tactics and behaviour. Participants learn to name a manoeuvre in order to defuse it, to manage their own reactions under pressure and to adjust their style to the person in front of them. Practice takes up the greater part of the time.

Exercises are drawn from the commercial realities of the UAE market, including multi-stakeholder buying committees and regional procurement practices.

Learning objectives

  • Identify the tactics used by a buyer during a negotiation session
  • Defuse a manoeuvre by naming it without antagonising the other party
  • Hold your position under time or competitive pressure
  • Adapt your negotiation style to your counterpart's behaviour
  • Restore a constructive working climate after a period of conflict

What makes this programme different

Most of the time devoted to simulations analysed sequence by sequence
A repertoire of buying tactics and responses built by the group
Individual work on your own reactions in pressured situations

Programme

1Balance of Power and Positions

Assess before you engage

  • Factors that build the real balance of power
  • Assessment of each party's fallback options
  • Identifying the buyer's room for manoeuvre
  • Choosing between firmness and a swift agreement

2Buying Tactics and Counter-Moves

Name the manoeuvre to neutralise it

  • Time pressure and manufactured urgency
  • Announced competitive bidding and unverifiable offers
  • Reopening a point already agreed
  • Escalation of authority and the absent decision-maker

3Behaviour Under Pressure

Hold firm without hardening

  • Personal reactions to aggressive behaviour
  • Managing silence and interruptions
  • Using pauses and adjourning the session
  • Wording that holds the position without provoking

4Styles and Exiting Conflict

Adjust your approach and close the relationship well

  • Identifying your counterpart's style
  • Adjusting pace and level of formality
  • Breaking out of a deadlock
  • Rebuilding the relationship after a hard negotiation

Who is it for

Experienced sales professionals, business engineers, account managers and sales managers who already negotiate regularly.

Prerequisites

Command of the stages of a commercial negotiation and regular practice of them.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.