This is the message from one of the world’s foremost speakers on negotiation, Malcolm Smith, who will be addressing business leaders in Wales on Friday October 15 and in London on  Friday November 5

Mr Smith, who spent more than 25 years in the manufacturing industry, working at both management and board level for companies including Dow Chemical, Ascot, Low & Bonar, Britton, Courtaulds, Rexam and Inmos, says mastering the principles of negotiation is vital.

He said: “Over the years I’ve worked in a number of multi-national Groups and led complex acquisitions across Europe. The one common theme has been just how poor many UK companies are at negotiating effectively.

“The start of our problems lies in the use of poor language and phrasing. Assertive phrases such as ‘this is the price’ are often replaced by ‘how about …’ or ‘we’re looking for…’ This trait, although inherently British, is often at the heart of why companies lose out on millions of pounds of potential revenue or – even worse – fail to close a deal at all.”

However, Mr Smith says there is enormous scope for medium or even large PLCs to turn their fortunes around if they are prepared to put effective negotiation at the heart of their company culture.

“Negotiation is an essential business process from the preparation stage right through the negotiation itself. By learning some valuable tactics and techniques companies can save   hundreds of thousands of pounds negotiating the next big contract.”

Among the tactics being explored at the Vistage chief executive seminar being held at Cardiff City Stadium and Chelsea Football Club will be improving our sense of self-worth, a structured planning process, a tool box of skills, and ten top tips for negotiating success.

Commenting on the event, Vistage Chair Iain Lindsay, said: “Malcolm is a master of his subject which he delivers in a very lucid, engaging, enjoyable and amusing manner. He can hold a room like few others at these larger scale sessions. Malcolm has spoken to each of my groups over the past five years and is high up on my A-list of speakers. Member companies have saved fortunes by applying his ideas.

 “This Seminar will look at a number of the challenges faced by chief executives and businesses across Wales as we come out of recession and provide some useful tactics for those companies looking to increase their profitability and become employers of choice.”

To book your space at either of these Open Days click here

 Dave Abraham CEO of Signify wrote to tell us that they used techniques from the HEMP session the very afternoon they returned to their offices in a marketing meeting to great success. So if you want to see how Vistage could benefit you and your business, why not book for an upcoming Open Day

Watch our video to see how the day went and what the attendees thought

To find out more about upcoming Vistage events and how you can benefit visit our website

Gary Weston, Chairman of Group 19, introduced the speaker Roger Martin-Fagg. One of the most popular Vistage speakers, Roger’s talk was named How Does the Economy Work and What Causes a Recession?

They are two big and complex questions which Roger deftly explained with wit and verve. Injecting both humour and clarity into Gross Domestic Product forecasts is not the easiest of tasks but Roger’s engaging delivery ensured that even the most complicated of economic theories was easily digestible.

Perhaps the most pressing question for most of the people in attendance was ‘What stage of the recession are we in?’ Roger’s sobering prediction is that the current recession is unlikely to end before 2012 and that we then face several years in which small improvements in the economy will be countered by mini dips. The underlying trend is that the economy will grow but at a slow rate.

Roger’s message might not have been the most optimistic but its stark assessment should help Vistage members shape their strategy for the next few years.

As well as potential new members, those in attendance included Vistage members such as Sandra Birrell of McKinnon and Clarke; George Finlayson of Portakabin Scotland and Andy Lothian CEO of The Insights Group. They were joined by alumni such as Jim Lambert of J. Wilson Power Tools and Graham Wallace of the Filmhouse.

Steve Gilroy, CEO of Vistage International (UK), attended the event along with Chairmen Gary Weston and Alastair Muir.

Watch the video for a taste of the day and visit vistage.co.uk to find out more about our upcoming Vistage Open Days for 2010.

On the 5th March in Edinburgh we  have Roger Martin Fagg – ‘The Economy – will it be a V or W shaped recovery’, to find out more and to register  click here

On the 19th March in Wigan we have Dale Williams – ‘Lean Thinking’,  to find out more and to register click here

On the 16th April in Newport we have Roger Martin-Fagg – ‘Strategy – Your value proposition’, to find out more and to register click here

We also welcome international speaker Kraig Kramers, who will be hosting 3 Vistage Open Days on the 26th, 27th and 28th April on the Professional CEO’s toolkit, to find out more and to register for Leeds on the 26th  Birmingham on the 27th and London on the 28th follow the links.

More details of upcoming Vistage Open Days to follow, make sure you keep up to date with those on the blog, twitter, facebook and Linkedin where all the details are posted