Are you in B2B sales and do you often feel that your negotiations with procurement professionals could have gone better? If so, you are not alone. Procurement functions in mid-sized and large companies have steadily gained more influence and power. And to ensure they deliver results, procurement people are now very well trained in the […]
Selling to Procurement: This is why Procurement treats your product or service like a commodity
A typical Old School Procurement function has a reputation for treating everything they buy as a commodity. Most Procurement functions in large companies have evolved and are now much more advanced than that. Nevertheless, are they still treating the services you sell as a commodity? Sometimes that may very well be the case. So, what […]
Selling to Procurement: Think Procurement only cares about price? You’re wrong!
What matters to Procurement the most? As a B2B sales person, this scenario will, no doubt, be familiar to you: You spend a lot of time and effort on communicating your value proposition to your prospect. There is a good fit. They understand and appreciate the value you are bringing to the table. They want […]
Selling to Procurement: Get stronger at pushing back against Procurement
“Are your people strong enough at pushing back against Procurement and processes that don’t make sense?” I heard, sales coach and bestselling author, Mike Wineberg, pose that question at the end of one of his podcast episodes. On that episode, he had expressed frustration with the way Procurement gets in the way of sales. Regardless […]
Selling to Procurement: Win less than 4.2% of RFPs, or more than 50%. Your choice!
Do you recognise this situation? An invitation to respond to a Request For Proposal (RFP) lands on your desk cold – unexpectedly. You quickly scroll through it and there seems to be a very good fit between what the company is asking for and the solution, service or product you are offering. Do you submit […]