In his book, ‘Never split the difference’, Chris Voss, ex FBI negotiator turned negotiation guru, identifies the need to reach common ground with the people we deal with, in his case hoodlums and terrorists. Fortunately for us, we do not need to deal with such extreme situations, but the principles are the same. We need to demonstrate empathy, not sympathy with our business counterparts. Building empathy and trust are basic sales techniques but, like any skill, needs to be practised and applied.
When dealing with any GSCOP Designated Retailer (those with a UK grocery turnover over £1bn), we need to establish trust and build a working relationship (empathy), demonstrating an understanding of their business needs and how to unlock opportunities.
GSCOP (Groceries Supply Code of Practice) regulations support sales teams as it provides ‘ground rules’ from which to operate. Do your teams understand how GSCOP regulations can help them? Do they have the skills to ‘push back’ against unreasonable demands? Are you clear where you can get cost effective functional training on GSCOP?
The British Brands Group provides a range of functional training with courses covering GSCOP, Competition law and compliance and Trading with Amazon. These will enable you to offer cost effective development opportunities that will directly impact your business results. All feature a strong commercial bias, being about understanding and application in the trading world. This training is available as Classroom or Virtual offerings. The Group is also open to exploring your specific needs if you want an alternative to ‘open’ courses. Feel free to contact us by phone, email or social media feeds.
These courses receive excellent feedback, scoring highly with attendees (4.5 or more out of 5.0 overall) who state they would recommend the training to their colleagues. One delegate commented that: ‘Team activities using scenarios was a great help. It made the content relatable and actionable’.