Pitching and Negotiation Skills for King's College Cafe

This assignment explores negotiation and pitching skills for King's College Cafe, covering key stakeholders, RFP process, contractual obligations, pitch development, and post-pitch outcomes.

Pitching and Negotiation Skills
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
L01...................................................................................................................................................5
P1: Determine what is a negotiation, why it occurs and who the key stakeholders are during a
negotiation process......................................................................................................................5
P2: Evaluate the key steps and information required for negotiating and generating deals........7
M1: Present a concise rationale for the negotiation process, including detailed steps that
organisations go through during a negotiation process and the information required in
preparation...................................................................................................................................9
D1: Critically evaluate the steps of the negotiation process and present valid solutions for
dealing with issues that can arise...............................................................................................10
LO2................................................................................................................................................11
P3: Explain the RFP process and the relevant types of documentation required......................11
P4: Explain the contractual process and how relevant documentation is managed and
monitored...................................................................................................................................13
M2: Apply the RFP process within an organisational context, outlining the key documentation
required and consequences of breaching the terms of agreement.............................................14
D2 Critically evaluate the competitive tendering and contract process and make
recommendations for completing a successful tender with minimal risk..................................15
LO3................................................................................................................................................16
P5: Develop an appropriate pitch applying key principles that achieve a sustainable
competitive edge........................................................................................................................16
2

M3: Examine the pitch process in an organisational context, evaluating ways to maximise the
chances of a successful pitch.....................................................................................................19
D3: Develop a dynamic and creative pitch that is both concise and persuasive to achieve a
sustainable competitive edge.....................................................................................................20
LO4................................................................................................................................................23
P6: Assess the potential outcomes of a pitch.............................................................................23
P7: Determine how organisations fulfil their obligation from a pitch, identifying potential
issues that can occur..................................................................................................................24
M4: Recommend ways in which an organisation can fulfil their post-pitch obligations,
highlighting any potential issues...............................................................................................25
D4 Critically evaluates the pitch and post-pitch outcomes to determine potential issues and
risk management........................................................................................................................26
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................27
References......................................................................................................................................28
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Introduction
Negotiation and pitching skills are essential concepts and developments that are required in the
dynamic business environment. This assignment will study various aspects of pitching and
negotiation skills. The report will consider a cafe and King’s college. The report will examine
the process of negotiation, the key stakeholders involved in the process, the documentation
required in order to furnish the process of negotiation etc. The report will also consider pitching
skills. The report will enable to develop strong and competitive pitching skills in order to
develop creative and interactivity pitching for the cafe. The report will aid in understanding the
pitching elements and potential outcomes of pitching the business specification as pert the
business demands and requirements. The report will develop an understanding of the relations
between the supplier and the business. The report will also analyze the potential outcomes of
pitching the business specification in terms of acceptance or rejection.
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LO1
P1: Determine what is a negotiation, why it occurs and who the key stakeholders are
during a negotiation process
Negotiation is a conflict resolution technique in which the parties involved in a conflict converse
to safeguard their interest and attributes. Negotiation can be termed as a settlement or an attempt
to resolve a conflict of interest, authority, responsibility etc. between two or more individuals. It
is a conflict resolution technique which focuses on resolving the conflict and building resolution
in favour of one or the parties in conflict. The parties involved in conflict lose and gain some of
their interests (Lewicki, et. al., 2012). The parties form a resolution on the basis to compromise
some part of their interests to achieve favourable or priority of interests. The characteristics of
negotiation are as follows:
 Involvement of more than one party
 It occurs due to conflict of interest or objective
 Development of resolution
 Mutual agreement is fostered as compared to other conflict resolution techniques
 Both the parties lose something and get something
 Compromise is the essence
Reasons for Negotiation
Negotiation occurs in order to solve the conflict of interest or objective between different parties.
Negotiation occurs due to conditions like a win-win situation, win-lose condition or beneficial
factor. A win-win situation is where both the parties involved in the conflict gain their interest
with or without any compromise executed. A win-lose situation is where one party gains the
interests in full volumes and other party losses their interest and objectives (Craver, 2012).
Negotiation is also a beneficial factor. It creates an atmosphere where both the parties come
together in order to resolve their conflicts and gain their share of interests.
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Key Stakeholders in the Negotiation Process
There are various key stakeholders involved in the process of negotiation. The two most prior
key stakeholders are the parties involved in the conflict. Further, the third party is known as a
Mediator, Arbitrator, Conciliator or Consultant. Negotiation may also include parties such as the
representatives of the conflicted parties. For example employee association, employer
association, Labour groups, Trade unions etc.
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P2: Evaluate the key steps and information required for negotiating and generating deals.
Negotiation is a detailed process which entails various steps and factors in its orbit. Negotiation
involves 5 basic steps in its process. These steps are as Preparing and Planning, Definition of
ground rules, Classification and justification, Bargaining and Problem solving and closure and
implementation. These steps are evaluated as below:
 Preparing and Planning: In this step, the parties in a conflict determine the various
aspects and details of the negotiation and its process. The parties decide and allocate the
various information and details required to proceed with the process. This includes
identifying and weighs the achievable outcomes. It develops and establishes BATNA
which is the best alternative to a negotiated agreement.
 Definition of ground rules: In this step, the ground rule for the process of negotiation
are discussed. The rules are related to the location, time, involvement of the parties,
number of representatives, out of discussion topic and guidelines for the discussion,
offering price developed by the parties, time limits, bottom lines etc. Defining ground
rules enables to precede the process of negotiation in a constructive manner.
 Classification and justification: This step involves classifying and justifying the offers
bided by the parties in conflict. The offers developed by both the parties are classified
according to their nature and scope of operations (Kay and Ahmadpour, 2015). The
justification includes giving empirical reasons to support and validate the arguments and
discussion or solution developed in order to obtain their interests and objectives.
 Bargaining and Problem solving: Bargaining is the technique through which the parties
in conflict fight the justifications of each other in order to obtain their interests.
Bargaining refers to negotiating the terms and conditions that are involved in the process
of a transaction. In the context of negotiation, bargaining includes fighting to achieve
maximum the interest and objectives of each party. It enables to procure the maximum of
offer price from the opposite party. Problem-solving refers to developing solutions to
resolve the identified problems and conflict. Problem-solving enables to develop a
resolution in order to achieve an effective outcome and satisfy the interests of both parties
involved.
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 Closure and Implementation: In this step, the negotiation outcome developed is
implemented on to the parties and the process of negotiation is closed.
The information required to generate deals is as follows:
 The history and background information of the parties involved.
 Various documents and evidence regarding the conflict and the dispute.
 The price offered by both the parties.
 The discussion of bottom line regarding the offer
 The contract of negotiation
 The details of previous contracts and other agreements.
 Objective and interests of both the parties.
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M1: Present a concise rationale for the negotiation process, including detailed steps that
organisations go through during a negotiation process and the information required in
preparation.
The process of negotiation includes steps such as preparation and planning, defining of ground
rules, clarification and justification, bargaining and problem solving, closure and
implementation. These steps are logical due in the series. The step of preparation and planning
provides with all the details and information required in order to plan the process of negotiation.
The step of defining ground rules is appropriate as it lays down all the details and rules according
to which the process will be executed (Moore, 2014). The step of clarification and justification is
also important as it provides an opportunity to clarify and justify the offer prices and conflict
interests. The step of bargaining and problem solving enables to bargain and achieve the
maximum of interests and enables to develop effective problem-solving remedies. The last step
of closure and implementation executes the most effective implementation of the negotiation and
its outcomes on the parties involved in the conflict.
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D1: Critically evaluate the steps of the negotiation process and present valid solutions for
dealing with issues that can arise.
The process of negotiation is a beneficial process which enables the parties in conflict to fetch
their interests and objectives. This process benefits both the parties and develops an effective
negotiated outcome. The process is a conflict resolution technique and provides an advantage of
procuring the interests and objectives rather than fighting the opposition party.
On the other hand, there are various issue and demerits of this process. The process of negotiation
is not legally binding on the parties involved in the conflict resolution (Kay and Ahmadpour,
2015). The process is time-consuming and has a high risk to lead towards unwanted and
unnecessary discussions. The process lacks the attribute of legal implications of non-compliance
and thus leads to a waste of time activity in the case of failure in execution.
The issue involved in the process of negotiation can be handled in the following manners:
 Involvement of the Mediator or Consultant
 Binding Legal implications for non-compliance
 Limiting the areas of discussion
 Executing the negotiated outcomes effectively
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LO2
P3: Explain the RFP process and the relevant types of documentation required.
The RFP process refers to a request for proposal document. It is a solicit document that is
presented in the early stage of procurement cycle to the sponsor. The process is a combination of
various steps and stages. The process is listed as below:
 Understanding the need and developing high-level business specifications.
 Assessment of the buyers for the business in the market.
 Developing the market strategy for selling the business idea and the specification.
 Identifying and evaluating the market conditions and the market engagement.
 Developing the tender documents and terms and conditions
 Selection and evaluation of the best supplier in the market.
 Development of Invitation to tender.
 Sending out Request for Quotations (B.S.N.B. and Gardens, 2016)
 Evaluation and validation of bids and tender.
 Development of the contract and its implication on both the parties.
 Determination of Warehouse and logistics receipts.
 Reviewing the performance of the contract.
 Execution continuous development programs.
 Management of supplier and buyer relationship.
 Assessment of business procurement and requirements.
There are various types of documents that are required in the RPF process. The documents
required are discussed as below:
 Request for Bid- This document emails all the details and information relating to the bid
that will be placed by the sponsors in the market. The details are regarding the bidding
process, the bidding price, the bidding limitation etc.
 Request for Information- It is an open document consulting enquiries relating to market
data and information. The enquiry is executed to understand and interpret the market
conditions and situations.
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 Request for Proposal- This document describes the business specifications and
requirements of the business from the supplier. This document provides different types of
evidence to the supplier regarding the business requirements and needs. Information
 Request for Quotation- The document of a request for quotation presents the quotation
of various suppliers to the business. This enables the supplier to competitively cost the
final bids and solution cost.
 Request for tender- The document of a request for tender describes the details of the
tender that is to be furnished by the business. The document is a structure invitation to the
suppliers to therein submit their bids and costing to for the goods and services.
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P4: Explain the contractual process and how relevant documentation is managed and
monitored
The contractual process is a process through which King’s College will enter into a contract with
the café. The contractual process that will be followed in this contract for tender is as follows:
 Analyse and Evaluate the project requirements: In this stage, the requirements and
necessities of the tender and the project will be identified and determined. The step
includes identifying various business specification and demands for which the tender is to
be executed. Evaluation of the demands and specification is processed according to the
terms and conditions of the contract.
 Designing and negotiating the contract: In this step, the contract is designed,
negotiated and analysed. The contract is designed according to the business
specifications. Negotiation between the parties to the contract is practised and the
contract signed is analysed to ensure the execution.
 Follow-up execution: In this stage, the follow-up activity of the contract, its terms and
conditions, the execution process etc. is executed. The follow up of changes according to
the alternations and variations in the contract is executed.
 Follow-up claim situations and claim settlement: This step requires establishing a
follow-up for the claims. Claims are the benefits execrated from one party in case the
other leaves the contract in mid-terms (Fried, 2015). The claim situations and claim
settlements are defined and a follow-up of best alternatives id discussed.
 Close the contract: This is the last stage of the contractual process. The stage involves in
final settlements of the contract and its agreements. The final terms and conditions of the
contract are communicated between both the parties. The stage is involved in executing
and implementing the legal implications and binding the contract on both the parties. The
parties sign the contract legally and close the contract for its performance and execution
in the real business environment.

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M2: Apply the RFP process within an organisational context, outlining the key
documentation required and consequences of breaching the terms of agreement
RFP process is a request for proposal which is a document presented by the business or in this
case the café to the King’s College. The process offers request for the proposal to fulfil the
business specifications and requirements. There are various documents that are required in the
process of a request for proposal. These documents are listed as below:
 Request for Bid
 Request for information
 Request for proposal
 Request for quotation
 Request for tender
Consequences of breaching the terms of agreement
Breaching the terms of the contract will render the contract as void and will arise of the situation
in which the party facing the losses due to breach commenced by another party will claim for the
losses suffered. Breaching the contract in mid-terms or in partial fulfilment of the contract
renders the other party with an opportunity to claim the remedies settled in the contract at the
time of the contractual process (Rowan, 2012). There are various consequences the breaching
party has to face in the situation of breaching the contracts. The claims that can be exercised are
Payment of compensatory damages Payment of punitive damages, Specific performance,
Cancellation, Restitution etc.
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D2: Critically evaluate the competitive tendering and contract process and make
recommendations for completing a successful tender with minimal risk.
Competitive tendering refers to the practice of filling tender in the government and private sector
organisation. In this type of tendering the suppliers compete with each other to fetch the tender at
biding higher prices than what the opposition suppliers if offering. This tender provides with
better value for money to the taxpayers and the organisations.
On the other hand competitive tendering forces the suppliers to raise their offer price as the
biding is posed by the opposite party. This results in high costing and expenditures to the
suppliers and increases the load of cost and reduces the revenue generations.
There are various aspects which can be applied in order to tender competitively with minimal
risks. These recommendations include the following:
 Regularly reviewing the business positions and strategies
 Targeting the tender bodies preliminary and familiarising with their procurement
procedures
 Establishing realistic bids and targets meeting the requirements of the supplier and the
business (Invest Northern Ireland, 2017)
 Preparing an effective and concise bid plan to foster the attainment of goals
 Focusing on the needs and demands of the buyer in order to compete the peers
 Achieving full cost recovery and showcasing value for money
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LO3
P5: Develop an appropriate pitch applying key principles that achieve a sustainable
competitive edge.
A good pitch is a conversation and not just a pitch, the competitive pitch is said to be a vital tool
for attaining the desired goals. All of the individuals need to pitch in one or the other way and it
is not just for the business owners looking for the investors for their business. There are some
pointers that are to be followed by King’s college for a perfect pitch to run the Cafe, which are:
 Go to the point first.
 Don’t use too many slides.
 Establish the needs
 Use a messaging app
 Use a multilevel structure to the pitch (Cenere, et. Al, 2015).
 State who your competition is?
 Include a sound bite
 Introduce the team
 Take yes for an answer
 Know your next step
 Learn from the competitors
 Don’t beg
There are also many strategic competitive objectives that need to be followed for gaining the
competitive advantage for certain years. A decent competitive edge will help King’s college in
telling their employees about their roles in the café when they will be executing their competitive
strategy. Pitching can also be said as the furthermost nerve-wracking state while creating or
developing an idea. The five basic steps that are used as an initial for creating a sustainable
competitive edge for King’s college to run a Café are (Cenere, et. Al, 2015).
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Establish Brand loyalty:
Customers not only get attracted but also stay with the brands that win their trust, even if the
King’s college will not offer the cheapest services as compared to their competitors the
customers will still stick to them because of the loyalty they have developed towards the brand.
Patent your products:
Patent products can be said as the most important weapon in a business’s competitive advantage.
King’s college needs to develop and patent the products to be sold in the Café (Jackson, 2014).
Continually innovate:
King’s college needs to continually innovate their products and services not just to stay ahead of
their competitors but also to keep the customers engaged. They can always try to bring up new
flavours of coffee and new ways to serve (Blake, 2012).
Hire connected team members:
The customers in Café get attracted by the quality of service and the products served, so the
persons hired for the business must be genuine and connected to the business so that they can
provide the best services and can give the business a great success.
Use long-term contracts or services:
This is the step that can decide whether the business will gain success or not the King’s college
can implement this step taking into consideration that it doesn’t backfire, they can build strong
relations with the customers. For building long-term contracts with the customers they can
provide discounts and other luring services for the customers, this will engage them with the
Café and the chances of the profits will increase (Blake, 2012).
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The basic steps that King’s college can use to elevate the pitch are:
 Define the problem
 Describe your solution.
 Know your target market.
 Describe the competition.
 Watch who’s on your team.
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M3: Examine the pitch process in an organisational context, evaluating ways to maximise
the chances of a successful pitch.
The pitching process is a must for the business to gain the competitive advantages for the
business; there are certain pitch processes that can be followed to gain the maximum profits.
King’s college will be running a café and the pitching s very much necessary for it as it will help
them to attract loyal customers to them. The steps involved in the pitching process are:
 Meet prospective supplier first: For a successful pitching process, King’s college needs
to know what the needs and demands are of the perspective so that they can deliver them
considerably (Bird, 2012).
 Being aware of what the best services can offer: King’s college needs to very well be
aware of what kind of services they can offer to the clients and how they can gain profits
from them, the pitching process is not a simple task and need to be done correctly.
 Support the investors during the pitching process: King’s college needs to provide a
considerable support to the investors during the pitching process so they can get attracted
towards the idea.
 Give the responses a sufficient time to deliver the result: Nothing should be done in a
hurry; they need to provide a decent time period to the investors so that they can provide
the answer according to it.
 Provide a symptomatic budget: Asymptomatic and luring budget should be shown to
the investors so that they invest in the café and the pitch process gains success.
 Let the investors know who will be their competition: The Café’s running near the
college and the canteens can be the competition but King’s college needs to tell the
investors about the competition they will be facing so that they can invest according to it,
this will avoid the future confusions and build a sense of trust for the investors (Bushee
and Miller, 2012).
 Let the investors know what potential they will have in future: The investors should
have knowledge of what they will be facing in future and what their profit will be so that
they can invest according to it.
19

D3: Develop a dynamic and creative pitch that is both concise and persuasive to achieve a
sustainable competitive edge.
20

21

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LO4
P6: Assess the potential outcomes of a pitch.
The potential outcomes of pitch between investors and Cafe of King’s college can be of the
following nature:
 The King’s college can get into a contract with the investors after attracting them and
signing the contract. This will help the Café to deal with the bonds and get liable to the
investors; this will ensure the investment and help King’s college to run the Café (Kim,
et. Al, 2012).
 The King’s college will be signing a contract that too with the no shop agreement so that
the King’s college can get engaged and then further look for other investors as well to
pitch in.
 The other possibility is that you can hear the words “no thank you” from the investors in
that case it is a good as well as bad news the bad is that you lost the investor and the good
is that you don’t need to worry about the investors anymore and focus on the other tasks
and investors.
 The other outcome can be silence, this one is the most common outcomes from the
investors where you get irritated and can’t concentrate on your work as you don’t know
what the investor wants is it a yes or a no.
 The other possible answer can be that you need to come back after hitting the certain
milestones, this can happen when the investors think that the valuation is unreasonable or
want to see your progress after a certain time (Sushko, 2012).
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P7: Determine how organisations fulfil their obligation from a pitch, identifying potential
issues that can occur.
The Café that King’s college is going to run can get into the contract with the investors where
they can sign a no-shop agreement where you King’s college can stop talking to any other
investor but is they say that you need to sign a no-shop agreement King’s college can hold the
conversation with the investors, so that the investors get a knowledge that you were standing on
your deal and understand level of confidence of the King’s college and raise the appropriate fund
for them (Sushko, 2012).
Café of the King’s college can easily monitor the response of the investors by their expressions
or the way they are talking to them, the way they answer will be saying it all. A good pitch gets
selected at the starting only and if the investors are spending time and taking the conversation
with King’s college for a long time it means they are interested in the idea and want to work with
you. There can be certain terms and conditions that need to be followed or even the plans can be
altered at certain steps so that the investors can fund the café.
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M4: Recommend ways in which an organisation can fulfil their post-pitch obligations,
highlighting any potential issues
The post pitch obligations can be performed by the Café of King’s college after performing
certain tasks.
Entering the contract:
The King’s college needs to read all the documents by viewing the terms and conditions
mentioned in the contract before entering into it (Lu, et. Al, 2012).
Implementation of the contract:
The King’s college needs to develop and implement the contract in the ways that it provides
benefits to the investors as well as to them; the steps mentioned in the contract must be followed.
Maintain relations:
The King’s college needs to maintain good relationships with the investors even after getting the
funds as they will be helping them in the future needs as well (Gupta and Shukla, 2017).
Incremental revenue:
The King’s college is responsible and liable to earn all the profits stated in the terms and budget
so that the college feels the need to increase the profits in future and upgrade the Café as per it.
Certain traits of a guest post pitch are:
 Make your topic a highlight.
 Personalize your email (Lu, et. Al, 2012).
 Prove that you’re the right person.
 Make it short.
 Make it correct.
 Stay confident for the results.
25

D4 Critically evaluates the pitch and post-pitch outcomes to determine potential issues and
risk management.
The pitch outcomes:
 The pitch outcomes can be in the favour of the King’s college so that they get the
funding’s.
 The pitch outcome can also be negative as the investors may not be much interested in
the idea.
 The investors can also set a time period for the King’s college to come back after hitting
the milestones.
 Pitch outcome can also be a silence which can create confusion but the situation should
be handled properly (Gupta and Shukla, 2017).
The post-pitch outcomes:
 The post-pitch outcomes can be very much positive after getting into the contract with the
investors where they can start running the business without any worry of the finances.
 The post-pitch outcomes can also be negative for the King’s college where they need to
do more hard work with their idea and it can be further edited and again showed.
 The post-pitch outcome can be confusing where it becomes hard to accept the proposal of
investors as they can demand certain alterations in the plan which won’t fit into the
favour and profits of King’s college.
26

Conclusion
The report has discussed negotiation and pitching skills. Negotiation can be termed as a conflict
resolution technique which enables to resolve the conflict of interests. Pitching can be termed as
persuading the suppliers to procure the business specifications of the business. In this
assignment, King’s College and café have been undertaken in order to demonstrate the
understanding. The assignment has discussed negotiation and the reasons negotiation occurs. The
report has identified various key stakeholders involved in the process of negotiation. The report
has discussed a request for proposal and the documents required to furbish the process. The
report has analysed the contractual process and the documentation required to proceed with the
process. The report has developed a pitch for the café and the King’s college. The report will
assess future outcomes of delivering the pitch and determination of in what ways the
organisations fulfil their obligations of pitch and the potential issues in the process of pitching.
27

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