COURSE OVERVIEW
Becoming a recognized strategic business partner requires deep engagement in both individual and organizational performance. To add meaningful value, your work must align seamlessly with the organization’s strategy and structure. Effective business partners operate across multiple levels: individual, team, business unit, organizational, and cross-organizational.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completing the Strategic Internal Business Partner training, participants will be able to:

• Understand how department heads develop their needs
• Recognize the decision-making process of internal customers
• Strategically align with the customer’s psychological buying stages
• Address and overcome risk-related objections
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the internal customer’s business
• Encourage internal customers to identify problems you can solve
• Diagnose business challenges with a focus on your capabilities
• Build credibility and gain access to line executives

TARGET AUDIENCE
This course is ideal for business partners responsible for leading, negotiating, and building rapport with internal teams, driving change, and implementing strategic objectives. Professionals who must achieve results through influence rather than formal authority will benefit significantly.

TRAINING METHODOLOGY
The program is highly practical and designed around adult learning principles. Participants engage in discussions, role plays, and hands-on exercises, supported by short, inspiring demonstrations. Ample time is provided for Q&A and developing actionable plans to apply learnings back at work. Pre- and post-course assessments are conducted to gauge participant progress and course effectiveness.

COURSE CONTENTS

Module 1 – Business Partnership Skills
Description: On Day One, participants explore the core responsibilities and role of a business partner.
Key Topics:

• Overcoming consulting, selling, and persuasion challenges
• Identifying internal customer problems
• Roles and responsibilities of business partners
• Managing behavior as a business partner
• Principles of effective consulting partnerships
• Understanding how departments “buy” and their levels of need
• Organizational interdependence
• Engaging with sponsors and decision-makers

Module 2 – Understanding Your Audience
Description: Day Two focuses on analyzing your audience and their expectations.
Key Topics:

• Shifting priorities throughout the buying cycle
• Stages of the buying process
• Addressing objections at each stage
• Aligning consulting behavior with the customer’s process
• Anticipating buyer actions
• Leading buyers to a shared vision
• Developing solutions for complex problems with intangible capabilities
• Conducting thorough needs diagnostics

Module 3 – Leading, Motivating, and Achieving Strategic Alignment
Description: Day Three applies theory through practical exercises.
Key Topics:

• Achieving strategic alignment
• Effective meeting introductions and positioning
• Transitioning into vision creation
• Encouraging buyers to acknowledge and own their challenges
• Problem diagnosis and solution development
• Crafting capability statements
• Closing meetings and planning next steps

Module 4 – Buyer Qualification
Description: Day Four covers techniques for qualifying internal customers.
Key Topics:

• Internal customer qualification
• Managing the “sell” cycle
• Defining proposals and gaining access to decision-makers
• Controlling communication throughout the sell cycle
• Applying consulting steps by phase
• Competitive strategies
• Developing tactical tools using internal customer language

Module 5 – From Theory to Implementation
Description: Day Five focuses on practical application of course concepts.
Key Topics:

• Advanced negotiation skills
• Understanding emotional hurdles of buyers and partners
• Preparing for the sell cycle in advance
• Cost justification using a structured model
• Maximizing technical and internal resources
• Collaborating with third-party consultants
• Course summary and review