The programme really makes you think about how to adapt to situations with different and diverse counterparts. As you prepare for the roleplays, there’s a requirement to anticipate what other people might be thinking and what they might want from the negotiation. So you really get into the heads of other people.
Kelly Gao is a great believer in what she calls the power of beauty.
Strides forward in skincare and cosmetics, in fashion and luxury and in travel have enabled people all over the world to look and feel better. And feeling better empowers us to do better, she says.
This is the belief that undergirds Gao’s entrepreneurial drive and ambition. And it is what has inspired her to set up her own, small business with headquarters in Hong Kong S.A.R. QINRIVE ASIA is a niche integrated marketing and PR communications agency servicing the needs of clients in the burgeoning beauty, lifestyle and luxury sectors, across Asian markets. And business is booming, says Gao. Despite the restrictions imposed by the Covid pandemic, she has seen explosive growth in the last three years or so. But it has not been easy. Gao’s business sees her work with celebrities and social media influencers who hold great sway over public opinion in the worlds of luxury, fashion and beauty. Building, nurturing and growing relations requires advanced negotiation skills, she says: a need that brought her to INSEAD and the Strategic Negotiations programme.
“I’ve been looking for a very practical and functional toolkit over the course of the last three or so years; something that could really help me improve my own communication skills as my company has grown. INSEAD had always been my dream and I felt that this would be the right place to find inspiration and to grow my mindset. I was also delighted to discover that the programme was available in the online format.”
The programme felt “totally relevant” to Gao’s personal goals and to her ambition for her company, she says. Over the coming years, she is keen to upgrade the agency and to reposition it as a communications consultancy.
“Negotiation is a complex world that encompasses so much more than just one-to-one trading between two parties, where you are getting something from each other,” says Gao. “Negotiation also informs your strategy, your collaborations, your partnerships and any act of co-creation that builds value, which is so very important for any entrepreneur. And this programme really delivered on that front.”
From the start, Strategic Negotiations dug deep in the ideas and concepts behind value creation, says Gao. But the practical and personal coaching sessions she experienced really stood out in terms of addressing her very specific challenges and objectives.
“I’m a natural communicator which is a great foundation in negotiating. But with my coach, we were able to explore how I need to get more strategic about the way I negotiate; from setting my absolute goals to being clear about where I’m prepared to compromise, before I start negotiating,” she says. “And this has helped me structure the way I communicate immeasurably.”
The programme has helped Gao feel “more sophisticated” as a business person. It has given her a clear framework to help her achieve goals, she says. The role playing element of the programme was particularly useful in terms of translating theory into practice – and in terms of broadening her own mindset and perspectives.
“The programme really makes you think about how to adapt to situations with different and diverse counterparts. As you prepare for the roleplays, there’s a requirement to anticipate what other people might be thinking and what they might want from the negotiation. So you really get into the heads of other people.”
Strategic Negotiations has helped Gao manage business deals “every day,” she says. As she prepares her strategy to negotiate with different and diverse stakeholders, the progamme has given her the habit of pausing and preparing well in advance – a benefit that she is putting into use on a daily basis. Another clear benefit, she says, is the networking effect that the INSEAD experience integrates.
“We have set up a Whatsapp group with my fellow programme participants. And this group not only provides me with support, but is another opportunity to really drive your communication skills,” says Gao. “The amazing thing about the programme is the real-life, interpersonal dimension of the pairing with counterparts.”
Coming out of the programme, Gao feels she has better management of herself, of her business and of her time. She feels empowered, she says, not simply to say “yes” to requests from high-profile clients, but to find win-win solutions that add more value to everyone. Not only that, but her Action Learning Plan is beginning to bear fruit in the real-world growth of her business.
“Working with my coach, I’ve created a roadmap to negotiate a new relationship with a very senior potential collaborator and we’re now putting the building blocks in place to make this happen in the near future,” says Gao. “This is a collaboration with the power to really grow the business.”
Gao would not hesitate to recommend Strategic Negotiations to others. In fact, she has already suggested to her business partner that they take the programme too.
“The programme was so good I’ve blasted out my recommendation! Not just to my colleagues, but to my friends too.”
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