Budget Negotiation Skills That Actually Work
Real conversations happen differently than textbooks suggest. Our program focuses on what you'll actually encounter when sitting across from someone who holds the budget strings—and we teach you the subtle techniques that shift those conversations in your favour.
Get Program DetailsLearn Through Real Scenarios
We built this program around actual negotiation moments that trip people up. The kind where you walk out thinking "I should have said that differently" or "why did I accept that number so quickly?"
Each session drops you into a realistic scenario. Maybe you're negotiating departmental allocations with a finance director who's already decided to cut 15%. Or you're justifying a project budget to stakeholders who think they understand your work better than you do.
Starting September 2025, our intensive format runs over eight weeks with twice-weekly sessions. We keep groups small—maximum twelve participants—because meaningful practice needs space and attention.
How We Build Your Capabilities
Three distinct phases that progressively develop your negotiation approach. You won't master this overnight—but you will see measurable improvement in how you handle budget conversations.
Foundation Work
Understanding power dynamics, preparation frameworks, and the psychological patterns that emerge when money enters professional conversations. We cover research techniques that reveal leverage points you didn't know existed.
Active Practice
Role-play scenarios based on situations our participants have actually faced. You'll negotiate with peers playing difficult stakeholders, finance directors with rigid mindsets, and colleagues competing for the same budget pool.
Refinement Sessions
Detailed feedback on your approach, language patterns, and tactical choices. We record sessions (with permission) so you can see exactly where your negotiation shifted—for better or worse.
Who Guides This Program
Three practitioners who've spent years on both sides of budget negotiations. They've fought for resources, defended allocations, and learned what actually moves the needle when numbers are on the table.
Kerensa Blackwell
Spent twelve years managing project budgets across government and private sectors. Now teaches the tactics she wishes someone had shown her earlier—particularly around reading stakeholder priorities before meetings even start.
Linette Voss
Former CFO who's approved and rejected countless budget requests. She knows exactly what makes finance directors say yes—and what instantly kills your credibility in those conversations.
Tove Månsson
Specialises in the psychological dynamics that shape financial negotiations. Her sessions focus on managing your own reactions and reading the subtle signals that reveal where the other party might actually have flexibility.
Next Program Starts September 2025
We're accepting expressions of interest for our autumn intake. The program runs Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:45 PM AEST, starting September 9th through October 30th.
Early registration closes June 30th, 2025. We prioritise participants who can commit to attending all sixteen sessions—this approach works best with consistent attendance and group continuity.