Negotiation skills, how to present with greater impact, and the ability to leverage insights are among the skills most in demand from companies operating in the FMCG sector.
This is according to capability development specialist Bridgethorne, which analysed data from several workshop sessions in the last quarter of 2023. The company found that the skills most in demand also included customer understanding and category leadership.
“Building negotiation skills is really in demand to help both retailers and suppliers understand how to create value on both sides of the table in negotiation conversations,” explained Gina Overton, Director, Bridgethorne.
“It’s very much about thinking about the longer-term value you can unlock, and about moving to a strategic partnership rather than purely tactical negotiations. It’s about commercial businesses transforming to work smarter and to deliver more benefit.”
Overton noted that part of that process involves helping people in the industry to raise their presentation game.
“Presentation skills are part of our ability to communicate and influence,” she said. “And everybody in every organisation, in every function, at every level needs to communicate, and needs to influence both internally and externally.
“A lot of our clients spend a lot of time preparing for and delivering presentations. But they’re not always confident they’ve nailed the content. And they’re not always confident in their own personal delivery.
“So, having techniques, frameworks, practices and building skills and getting feedback has helped them raise their game and be more confident, more coherent and more powerful communicators.”
Overton suggested that even those with experience can still improve. “As you become more senior in an organisation, the dynamics, the forums, the importance of the message, the direction and clarity of direction that you have to share, the motivation and inspiration that you have to build into your delivery, ask more of you in terms of skills,” she said.
“We have been asked to do more senior leadership presentation skills. We have tried to disrupt what people have done in the past and thinking much more about face-to-face presentations and bringing the gravitas that will inspire.”
Overton concluded: “The demand for training on how to leverage insight comes largely from people in the industry, leading with facts and data rather than insights
“FMCG companies want their people to think in an insightful way, make sure they’re asking the right questions at the start point, gather relevant information, and crafting that into insights, which they can use to put together the right actions.
“It’s about developing curious mindsets, stepping away from presentations where it’s chart after chart after chart with loads of data. If you lead with insights, you can make those presentations a lot shorter and can deliver the story in a more compelling way.”
