Is there any training focused on handling difficult supplier conversations?

Recently had a call with a supplier where we had to push back on a price increase tied to rising costs. I know what needs to be done. But during the call, it got a bit tense. They kept repeating their position, and I could feel the conversation going in circles.

I tried to challenge it without escalating things, but I wasn’t fully confident that I was handling it the right way. After the call, I felt like I could’ve managed it better, maybe structured my points more clearly or handled the pushback differently.

This isn’t the first time this has happened. Same thing when discussing delivery delays or performance issues. It’s not always a full negotiation, but those in-between conversations are tricky to manage, especially for someone like me.

I’m starting to think it might be worth learning a more structured approach instead of just relying on experience.

So I wanted to ask, has anyone here taken any training or course that actually focuses on handling these kinds of supplier conversations?

Not the theory, but more practical ways to:

• push back without damaging relationships
• keep control of the conversation
• deal with defensive or difficult suppliers

Would really appreciate any recommendations that worked in this kind of situation.