This 2 day course is based on our generic Advanced Negotiating Skills and our Service Level Agreements courses. The resultant programme has a very high impact with all those that are involved in, or manage the Service Level Agreement processes into either the external commercial environment in which they operate or the internal support responsibilities.

 Objectives

By the end of the course delegates will:

- Be aware of the key stages in the negotiation process of SLA's
- Understand the characteristics of successful negotiators
- Recognise the need for preparation before negotiation
- Be able to use, recognise and counter negotiation techniques and 
  tactics
- Recognise the importance of questioning, listening and summarising 
  skills during a negotiation
- Be better able to achieve negotiated outcomes that favour his/her 
  organisation
- Understand the purpose of SLA's
- Know how to plan for SLA's
- Understand the different types of SLA and how to negotiate them
- Know how to implement an Agreement
- Understand modelling for SLA content

 Who Should Attend

- Internal 'account' managers
- IT support and delivery
- Systems analysts
- Customer liaison staff
- Senior management

This course is applicable anyone who is involved in the internal and external business processes.

It goes beyond a simple checklist of SLA understanding and negotiation tricks and tactics by introducing the concept of a structure to the whole process. In this way it is suitable for all those who get 
involved in professional negotiations both internally and externally.

 Course Content

Negotiation Skills For Service Level Agreements

Introduction
- Why SLA's are Negotiation based
- A Five Stage Model
- The Difference between Agreement & Understanding 
- Characteristics of Good Negotiators
- The Platform For Success - Win/Win Negotiating

The Structure For Agreement
- Preparation
     - Establishing your Position/Option Implications
- Investigation
     - Analysing their Expectations/Perception
     - Agreeing the Process For SLA Finalisation
- Proposing
     - Stating Your Case or Agreement Rationale Clearly
     - Setting Alternatives
     - Making Proposals
- Bargaining
     - Bargaining and Conceding Successfully
     - Negotiating Tricks and Tactics - How to use and counter them
     - Deadlocks - How to Break them
- Closing
     - Reaching the Agreement
     - Monitoring the Agreement 


Understanding Service Level Ageements

- Understanding the purpose of SLA's 
- Identifying the plans, tasks and deliverables to give maximum 
  benefits and control 
- (Creating?), managing and monitoring service level agreements
- Enhancing customer and supplier management skills associated 
  with SLA's 
- Understanding the 'negotiating' process within the context of SLA's 
- Identifying potential product and service improvements


This course includes three simulations of increasing complexity in which delegates get an opportunity to practice the skills learned.