In our last Tip (August 2011) we talked about a challenge many of us are facing - the requirement to sell to both the procurement organization and the specific department that needs our solution. We shared a couple of times when it's good to bring the two groups together, the research phase and the presentation phase.

What is the value of bringing these two groups together?


To involve Procurement and show that they are a respected player in the process.
To expose procurement to your business and solution fit, and to the reactions of your coaches and decision makers.


Another reason to do this is to get your coaches and decision makers to exert their influence on Procurement, helping to get you through the Procurement stage intact.

Given this motivation, here is another time to bring these interested parties together - the negotiation phase. Often, the process is fairly sequential. After we get the endorsement of the buying department, we move to the negotiation stage with Procurement. After working so hard to prove the fit, we now have to negotiate with Procurement, who is trained to disregard the value of the fit. This can be frustrating at best and a deal breaker at worst.

To minimize the pain, try bringing your decision maker or influential coach into the negotiation process. If they see that you are being treated unreasonably, they might step in and support your position. Even if they won't do it in front of you they might do it behind the scenes with Procurement. This can be a viable strategy because at this stage the decision maker has decided that they need and want to work with you. The last thing they will want is for you to be chased from the account by an overly aggressive procurement person.