DISABILITY CHALLENGERS
Published Date
Press release
Challengers Champions Business Club members meet for first time to network and learn about negotiating from international speaker & business expert, Derek Arden
Surrey, 30th March 2011. The Disability Challengers Business Club – Challengers Champions – met at the charity’s Farnham centre this week for the first time.
Since the launch last November 16 members have signed up at £1,000 per year, and there were more than 30 delegates from all over Surrey at the networking and presentation. Each member could bring two guests from their own business to learn about negotiating.
The speaker, Derek Arden, who once saved Oxfam £200,000 in banking fees through his negotiating skills, revealed key elements of the art, including:
- Build a rapport and empathise with the other party
- Ask and listen
- Prepare your best position through to your walk away position
- Always negotiate! Why not?
- Avoid any assumptions
- Ask the other side what would make them happy
The workshop engaged the audience with inter-action, many colourful examples and an ITV feature of Arden himself haggling over flowers, picture frames and CDs at Guildford market.
“The most common mistakes are that people are nervous about asking and don’t watch the body language of the other person,” said Arden, who speaks to business people all over the world from Sweden to Singapore. “Another mistake is to let your ego get in the way.”
Advice for women, who needed to negotiate with men, he added, was to wear your hair up and put on a jacket. The latter gives an air of authority, and the hair up denoted power as it was unfeminine. Look at Mrs Thatcher and Sarah Palin, he observed, with supporting photos.
Challenger Champions attending included Canon UK, BEST Business Group, rhw solicitors, Roffe Swayne, Earlex, Howett Thorpe, Whiteoaks, Wadham & Isherwood, Core Financial Services and PNPR.
Rob Pickles, a trustee of the charity and also Director, Public Sector Business Development & Public Affairs, at Canon UK and Ireland, said: “I’m absolutely delighted so many who are signed up as Challengers Champions were able to come today. The subject was engaging and very useful.”
Nick Richardson, partner at rhw solicitors commented: “Derek Arden’s talk was very useful and informative and I was mightily impressed by the number of people there.”
Sharon Ward, managing partner at Roffe Swayne Accountants, added: “It’s great to be part of the Challengers Champions Club and to attend events like today. Learning and networking with like-minded local business people who are so caring and passionate about all that Disability Challengers do for local children and their families, is a real pleasure.”
Disability Challengers are at: www.disability-challengers.org and for more information about the Challengers Champions Business Club, please call Mady Hatton on (01483) 230060.
Media enquiries, please, to PNPR on (01483) 82 44 58.