Practical AI Training: Gaining a Negotiating Edge in B2B Sales

Module 1: Webinar 4 hours

Andreas Leschke or Dr. Lars Manzke (negotiation experts) and Michael Hollmann (AI expert)

Fundamentals of Negotiation & AI Basics

In the introductory module, you’ll lay the foundation for the entire practical training program: You’ll learn the most effective basic principles of professional B2B negotiations—from the Harvard Model and FBI negotiation techniques to tried-and-true insights into negotiation psychology from experienced negotiators—presented concisely, pragmatically, and ready for immediate application. At the same time, you’ll develop a realistic understanding of AI: What can AI accomplish in negotiations—and where are its limits?

In your first hands-on exercise, you’ll get a firsthand look at the picture AI paints of you and your organization—and what that means for your preparation and for the other side. You’ll learn basic AI concepts such as language models, prompts, and hallucinations—which will serve as a common language for the entire training series—and you’ll create your personal AI logbook: your growing toolkit for all upcoming modules.

You start with clarity rather than hype—and hone your information and preparation skills right from the start.

Your AI practicum in this module

• In a live demo, you'll see firsthand what AI can do in real-world sales situations and where its limitations lie.
• You'll use AI to research your own company and another company, and critically evaluate the results.
• You can see what information about you and your organization is publicly available.
• You'll create your own personal AI logbook —your ever-expanding toolkit of prompts and templates for all future modules.

What You'll Gain from This Module

• Understand the most effective basic principles of professional B2B negotiations and be able to apply them immediately.
• Be able to realistically assess the targeted use of AI in negotiation processes and apply it with confidence.
• Save time with a structured introduction to AI and go into every negotiation better informed.

Module 2: Webinar 4 hours

Andreas Leschke or Dr. Lars Manzke (negotiation experts) and Michael Hollmann (AI expert)

Optimizing Mindset, Communication, and Perception with AI

In this module, you’ll refine your inner mindset and communicative impact—verbal, paraverbal, and nonverbal. You’ll explore the key psychological mechanisms that invisibly shape every negotiation: belief systems and self-fulfilling prophecies, selective perception and the Othello effect, framing and lobbying, as well as how to consciously deal with manipulation and black rhetoric. You’ll also gain new insights into how AI itself can influence perception and opinion—and how to recognize it.

Under the motto “Those who ask questions lead!”, you’ll practice steering conversations through the strategic use of questions and use AI to critically examine your own assumptions and hypotheses about conversation partners in advance. You’ll experience framing effects firsthand through your own examples and learn how the same message can have a completely different impact depending on how it’s framed.

You'll complete the module with heightened self-awareness and mental confidence—the foundation of every successful negotiation.

Your AI practicum in this module

• You'll see firsthand how AI phrases the same message in different ways—neutral, respectful, assertive—and compare the effects directly.
• You’ll conduct your first “hypothesis check”: Using AI, you’ll test your assumptions about a conversation partner, their motives, and possible objections—and question your own selective perception.
• You’ll reflect on how recommendation systems and language models act as “opinion amplifiers”—and how to recognize AI-driven influence in yourself and others.
• You use AI to generate targeted types of questions—open-ended, probing, and goal-oriented—and tailor them for your own real-life conversation.

What You'll Gain from This Module

• Be able to consciously recognize and purposefully manage your own impact in negotiations—verbal, paraverbal, and nonverbal.
• Recognize framing effects and manipulation in yourself and others, and be able to handle them confidently.
• Learn to see through AI-driven influence tactics and strengthen your own mental resilience in every negotiation.

Module 3: Webinar 4 hours

Andreas Leschke or Dr. Lars Manzke (negotiation experts) and Michael Hollmann (AI expert)

Optimizing Negotiation Goals & Positioning with AI

This module focuses on clearly defining your goals: You’ll precisely define your negotiation goals, establish your BATNA and your red line, and clearly distinguish between “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves.” You’ll learn to consciously factor in your own room to maneuver and strategically refine your positioning—before you enter the negotiation.

AI is consistently used here as a thinking partner: You develop structured target ranges, work with a clear traffic-light system, and check your priorities for completeness. This isn’t about perfect theory, but rather a robust, reproducible system—one you can start using right away before every negotiation.

The key benefit: AI forces you to organize your thoughts and reveals options, bargaining power, and interdependencies that are easy to overlook when working alone. You won’t leave this module relying on a gut feeling, but with a well-thought-out negotiation strategy—saved as a reusable prompt in your personal AI logbook.

Your AI practicum in this module

• You'll see firsthand how AI takes a rough idea and develops it into a structured range of targets—including upper limits, lower limits, BATNA, and a red line.
• You'll use your own situation to create a traffic-light system (Must / Should / Can) with AI support and make your priorities clear.
• You perform a “blind spot check”: AI reviews your objectives for overlooked options, trade-offs, and hidden dependencies.
• You'll develop your own "goal-clarification prompt"—a reusable template that you can use before every future negotiation.

What You'll Gain from This Module

• Clearly define negotiation goals, BATNA, and red lines, and be able to consciously factor in room for maneuver.
• Use AI to develop a robust, structured negotiation strategy—instead of relying on gut feelings.
• Establish a reusable goal-clarification process that can be implemented in minutes before every negotiation.

Module 4: Webinar 4 hours

Andreas Leschke or Dr. Lars Manzke (negotiation experts) and Michael Hollmann (AI expert)

Refining Your Argument and Value Proposition with AI

In this module, you’ll develop your presentation: from a simple feature pitch to a compelling value proposition. You’ll learn how to identify the needs, motivations, and decision-making criteria of different stakeholders and tailor your argument to address them specifically. After all, in B2B sales, it’s not “the best product” that matters—it’s the story that convinces the right customer at the right time.

You’ll work with AI as a partner in crafting messaging and shaping perspectives: You’ll translate product features into value propositions tailored to stakeholders, further develop your USPs and competitive advantages with a customer-centric approach, and learn how to spark interest and influence priorities with the right story. Whether it’s the purchasing department, a line of business, or executive management—you’ll know how to reach every contact with the right argument.

The result is a personalized benefit story toolkit with ready-made prompts and argument building blocks that you can now tailor to any customer situation—in a fraction of the usual time.

Your AI practicum in this module

• You'll see firsthand how AI translates a product feature, step by step, into a value proposition tailored to stakeholders—for the purchasing department, line management, and executive leadership—in a direct comparison.
• You use AI to gain a truly fresh perspective: AI steps into your customer’s shoes and identifies their likely motivations, concerns, and decision-making criteria.
• You’ll use AI to formulate your own USPs in three different styles—factual, emotional, and business-oriented—and select the most effective one for your specific situation.
• You'll build your own "benefit story toolkit" with prompts for different target audiences, thereby expanding your AI logbook.

What You'll Gain from This Module

• Be able to consistently translate product features and USPs into compelling value propositions from the customer's perspective.
• Be able to quickly develop relevant value propositions for different stakeholders—purchasing, line departments, and management.
• Use a personalized value proposition toolkit to approach every customer conversation more quickly and effectively.

Module 5: Webinar 4 hours

Andreas Leschke or Dr. Lars Manzke (negotiation experts) and Michael Hollmann (AI expert)

Handling Objections Using Artificial Intelligence

Objections aren’t obstacles—they’re buying signals. In this module, you’ll learn to see objections for what they really are: an opportunity to build trust and move the negotiation forward. After all, if you can address objections confidently, you won’t have to resolve them by making concessions.

Building on empathy, you’ll learn proven methods and brief interventions for confidently handling objections in B2B sales. You’ll develop a keen sense of whether an objection stems from a genuine misunderstanding, an unmet need, or a tactical signal—and respond with confidence and effectiveness.

In this module, AI becomes your personal training partner: You’ll build a personalized catalog of objections tailored to your industry and create your own objection simulator, which you can use to practice realistic negotiation scenarios as often as you like—without any real risk, but with maximum learning benefits.

By the end of the module, you'll have a ready-to-use system that, for the first time, systematically combines objection handling with real progress in negotiations.

Your AI practicum in this module

• You'll experience a live objection simulation: AI plays the role of a skeptical customer, the trainer responds—and the group works together to analyze the impact and technique.
• You use AI to generate the most common objections in your industry and develop empathetic, effective responses for your personal objection catalog.
• You'll practice your responses in your own "Objection Simulator" through direct dialogue with AI and receive immediate feedback on the impact and wording of your responses.
• You'll expand your AI logbook to include a ready-to-use catalog of counterarguments and a reusable simulation prompt for independent practice between modules.

What You'll Gain from This Module

• Recognize objections as buying signals and confidently turn them into progress in negotiations using empathy and clear methods.
• Be prepared for the most common situations with an industry-specific list of objections and be able to respond confidently.
• Use the personalized AI simulator to practice risk-free and as often as needed—for maximum safety in an emergency.

Module 6: Webinar 4 hours

Andreas Leschke or Dr. Lars Manzke (negotiation experts) and Michael Hollmann (AI expert)

Negotiation Preparation and Follow-Up as an AI Process

Professional negotiators don’t just win at the table—they win during preparation and secure their results through follow-up. In this module, you’ll turn exactly that into a reliable routine: You’ll define a personalized standard process with a checklist and establish a structured preparation and follow-up process that actually works in everyday life—instead of just remaining a to-do item.

AI takes care of the time-consuming documentation work: structured notes, precise summaries, clear to-do lists, and open issues after every negotiation—in seconds instead of hours. There’s a special focus on quality assurance: With targeted “devil’s advocate” prompts, you can have the AI deliberately position against your own position and uncover weaknesses before the other side does.

The key takeaway from this module is your personal “negotiation assistant” —a reusable template that you can continue to use in your day-to-day work after the training and that will save you time and ensure high-quality results in every future negotiation. This module addresses precisely the areas where knowledge is most often lost in everyday work.

Your AI practicum in this module

• You'll see firsthand how AI can turn a simple meeting note into a structured summary, a to-do list, and action items for the next meeting—all in seconds.
• You use the “Devil’s Advocate” prompt: The AI deliberately argues against your own position uncovers weaknesses in your preparation—before the opposing side does.
• You’ll design your own personalized preparation and follow-up process as a ready-to-use checklist combined with a customized set of prompts.
• You'll build your own personal "negotiation assistant" as a reusable template—the most comprehensive template in your AI logbook for immediate use in your daily life.

What You'll Gain from This Module

• Establish preparation for and follow-up on negotiations as a reliable routine and ensure that valuable knowledge is preserved over the long term.
• Use AI to create structured summaries, to-do lists, and action items in minutes instead of hours.
• Use "devil's advocate" prompts to test your own strategy for weaknesses—before your opponent does.

Module 7: Webinar 4 hours

Andreas Leschke or Dr. Lars Manzke (negotiation experts) and Michael Hollmann (AI expert)

Using AI to Visualize Stakeholders, Power Structures, and Organizational Charts

In B2B sales, decisions are rarely made by a single person. Buying centers, hidden influences, and informal power structures shape complex negotiations—and if you’re not aware of them, you’ll be negotiating at the wrong table. In this module, you’ll learn who really makes the decisions: You’ll master professional stakeholder mapping in complex organizations and develop a keen sense for decision-makers, supporters, and opponents.

Using AI, you can create structured organizational chart hypotheses based on publicly available information and build a “political map” of your most important target customers—precisely, systematically, and in a fraction of the time it would take to conduct manual research. Quality assurance is explicitly incorporated into the process: You’ll learn to critically evaluate AI-generated hypotheses and assess data sources for their reliability.

The module is deliberately designed to be practical: You’ll work on real-world client cases and head straight into your next negotiation with a completed political map of your top clients.

Your AI practicum in this module

• You'll see firsthand how AI uses snippets of public information to develop a structured organizational chart hypothesis for a target customer—and where the limits of this analysis lie.
• Using AI, you’ll create the “political map” of a real-world client case: decision-makers, supporters, and opponents will be identified and strategically categorized.
• You will develop a comprehensive profile of the person you are speaking with—including their role, interests, and potential agenda—and critically evaluate the reliability of the underlying data sources.
• You’ll develop your own “Buying Center Prompt” for quickly analyzing the stakeholders of future target customers, thereby adding to your AI logbook.

What You'll Gain from This Module

• Systematically analyze decision-making centers and power structures in complex organizations and be able to identify the right points of contact.
• Use AI to create a robust political map of key target customers and to categorize decision-makers, supporters, and opponents in a targeted manner.
• Critically evaluate the quality of AI-generated stakeholder hypotheses and be able to work with them confidently.

Module 8: Webinar 4 hours

Andreas Leschke or Dr. Lars Manzke (negotiation experts) and Michael Hollmann (AI expert)

Strategic Scenario and Meeting Planning with AI

Those who negotiate with confidence have prepared themselves—not only for their goal, but for every possible course the conversation might take. In this module, you’ll combine negotiation psychology with strategic planning: You’ll work with package logic, use anchoring strategically, and structure concessions according to the “give and get” principle.

With AI as your strategic sparring partner, you’ll design personalized conversation guides and a well-thought-out pricing strategy tailored to each client and the specific negotiation situation. You’ll plan best-case, real-case, and worst-case scenarios—including response options—and know, for every possible outcome, which next step will bring you closer to closing the deal. Closing techniques and strategies round out the module and give you the tools you need for that decisive moment.

By the end of this module, you’ll have reusable templates for any future price negotiations—and the confidence to think strategically even under pressure.

Your AI practicum in this module

• You'll experience a live AI sparring session on pricing strategy: setting anchors, developing package options, and working through the optimal sequence of concessions for a specific case.
• You’ll create your own “Give & Get Matrix” using AI: Identify exchange value in a structured way—what costs you little but is of great value to the customer?
• Using AI, you'll create a customized conversation guide—including negotiation phases and a pricing strategy—tailored to a real-world client case.
• You use AI for comprehensive scenario planning: best-case, realistic, and worst-case scenarios are developed along with specific response options and saved as reusable templates in your AI logbook.

What You'll Gain from This Module

• Plan pricing and package strategies, anchor prices, and concessions in a structured way based on the “give and get” principle, and test them in advance through AI-powered brainstorming sessions.
• Develop customized conversation guides that include stages, pricing strategies, and specific scenarios, and be able to use them confidently.
• Use reusable templates to go into every price negotiation better prepared and with a sharper strategic focus.

Module 9: Webinar 4 hours

Andreas Leschke or Dr. Lars Manzke (negotiation experts) and Michael Hollmann (AI expert)

Simulating Difficult Negotiations & Types of Negotiators Using AI

The toughest negotiations aren’t decided by better arguments alone—but by attitude, composure, and the ability to remain confident under pressure. In this module, you’ll practice exactly that: recognizing and countering tough tactics, dealing with time pressure and the “good cop/bad cop” approach, and consciously using the “Starting with NO!” technique. You’ll learn to read difficult negotiation styles—from hardliners to skeptics to power players—and to apply the right strategy for each one.

In this module, AI becomes a realistic training partner for precisely those situations that are the most costly in everyday life and that are otherwise difficult to practice safely. You can run through challenging scenarios as often as you like—with adjustable difficulty levels and immediate feedback. The training is complemented by emotional management: You’ll learn to reflect on and deliberately control your own language and tone under pressure. And you’ll prepare for the moment when a constructive break is the wisest decision—and how to skillfully resume the conversation afterward.

By the end of this module, you’ll feel noticeably more confident and resilient when facing the most challenging negotiation situations in your day-to-day work.

Your AI practicum in this module

• You'll see firsthand how AI plays the role of a hardliner: The trainer demonstrates de-escalation and firmness in practice—and the group analyzes the impact and techniques together.
• In the “Role-Playing Simulator,” you’ll practice negotiating against challenging AI-generated negotiation styles—the skeptic, the power player, and the time-pressure tactician—and set the difficulty level yourself.
• You use “Tone Reflection”: AI analyzes your own phrasing to determine its impact—whether it comes across as aggressive, defensive, or confident—and suggests more effective alternatives.
• You use AI-generated phrasing to prepare for a constructive breakdown of negotiations and a subsequent resumption, and save it as a template in your AI logbook.

What You'll Gain from This Module

• Recognize tough tactics and difficult negotiators, and be able to respond confidently and steadfastly using clear strategies.
• Be able to reflect on and deliberately control one's own language and tone of voice under pressure.
• Use the AI simulator to practice dealing with realistic, challenging scenarios without risk and build resilience for when an emergency actually occurs.

Module 10: Webinar 4 hours         

Andreas Leschke or Dr. Lars Manzke (negotiation experts) and Michael Hollmann (AI expert)

Review, AI Update & Personal AI System

The final module brings it all together. You’ll look back on ten months of training, real-world negotiations, and measurable results—and you’ll look ahead to a personalized, sustainable negotiation and AI system that will continue to work for you even after the final session. Individual tools, prompts, and insights will come together to form a cohesive system tailored to your daily life, your clients, and your personality.

You’ll receive a concise AI update: What’s been happening in the field of AI over the past few months—and what’s truly relevant for negotiators? Especially when it comes to the rapidly evolving topic of AI, this overview of current developments offers real added value. In a dynamic application exercise, you’ll bring all the modules together and, with the support of an AI coach, build resilience for recurring challenging negotiation situations.

The program concludes with your individual key takeaways and a clear commitment: a personalized 90-day plan with specific routines and next steps—so that what you’ve learned doesn’t get lost in the daily grind but actually makes a difference.

Your AI practicum in this module

• You'll receive a concise live update: "What's new and relevant in AI?"—a structured overview of the most important developments since the start of the training, directly relevant to negotiation situations.
• You combine all the prompts, checklists, and simulators collected through the modules in your AI logbook to create your own personal “AI system”—your go-to toolkit for any future negotiation.
• You use the “AI Coach” for reframing and mental preparation: Through dialogue with AI, you prepare for a specific, upcoming real-life negotiation.
• You create your own personalized 90-day plan—AI translates your goals into specific routines, reminders, and next steps so you can easily incorporate them into your daily life.

What You'll Gain from This Module

• Be able to combine all the tools, prompts, and insights from the entire hands-on training into a personalized AI system that can be used indefinitely.
• Understand current developments in AI and apply them directly to your own negotiation practice.
• Use a concrete 90-day plan and clear routines to ensure that what you’ve learned has an impact in your daily life—and doesn’t fall by the wayside.

Module 11: Coaching approx. 1 hour

Coaches: Andreas Leschke, Dr. Lars Manzke (Negotiations), or Michael Hollmann (AI)

1:1 Transfer Coaching "My Case"

Whenever you’d like to delve deeper into a topic or prepare for a challenging negotiation during the ten-month duration of the “AI Practical Training: A Negotiation Edge in B2B Sales” program, you’ll have access to personalized one-on-one “my Case” transfer coaching with the expert of your choice.

To this end, your coach will schedule a specific coaching session with you during which you’ll spend an hour discussing “my Case” one-on-one with him. This will help you further expand your practical knowledge and ensure immediate learning success for your practice. 
 

For individuals or teams, coaching is an effective method for tackling specific challenges and transforming them into positive, results-oriented action.
Through our professional coaching, we support you in independently shaping decision-making processes and implementing them in a sustainable way.