Purchasing professionals tend to view the various people within supply organizations as having similarly aligned interests: sell as much as possible at the highest acceptable price while ensuring that the customer feels that they got a good deal. A closer inspection of the decision making tree might reveal that there are many different forces impacting decision makers and people of influence over sales offers:
  • A quarterly or annual bonus or sales volume contest victory might be in reach. How motivated is the salesperson or the district manager in getting the sale this quarter, or month or year versus maximizing markup?
  • A new product or service is being rolled out. What incentives will a product manager offer to get a customer to try this service?
  • The national sales or marketing director wants to get play in a particular vertical market or add a particular customer brand name to the sales portfolio. What kind of improved pricing or terms might he or she push for to meet this objective?

Opening up the sales/buy conversation with more than just the one or two people that ordinarily engage from the supplier might reveal new and valuable lines of communication. We at Source One have found that helping our suppliers meet their individual as well as collective objectives produces as much emotional and informational leverage as does significant available spend.

Share To:

Abe Podolak

Post A Comment:

0 comments so far,add yours