Start Your Conversations with LOVE.
Great communication starts with love.
↳ Are you assuming the worst of your customers or suppliers?
↳ Are you skeptical the other party is operating with integrity?
↳ How are you approaching a conversation or negotiation?
Words without love are just noise. If you don’t speak in love, it doesn’t matter what the conversation is about or how eloquent you present your position.
As you sell to organizations, the earlier you bring #Procurement (yes the nasty word) into the process, the more fruitful and healthy your sales numbers will be. On the contrary, the longer you avoid Procurement… you may get a few deals, however you will not win the marathon.
Common positions I hear…
ⓧ Procurement takes too long
ⓧ I want to close the deal fast and meet my quarterly target
ⓧ My boss is telling me to work around Procurement
ⓧ I have always worked around Procurement, and still been successful
This thinking is a BIG MISTAKE…
Procurement is the gatekeeper for category spend across the enterprise and in most companies the only signing authority. You avoid Procurement and they will literally avoid you by excluding you from future bid opportunities!
Think, speak and act with love. Procurement professionals are not the enemy that you think they are!
STOP working around processes or people that may just be your ticket to close the next big deal or enable you to have the best sales year or decade of your career…
Apply these basic principles and your relationship with Procurement will change for the best:
1. Work with Procurement, not around Procurement
2. Know your customer, listen to earnings calls and solve problems with your product/service offering… sell your value
3. Know your customer’s Supplier Conduct Policy and follow it
Sell Smart. You don’t get what you don’t ask for…