Sometimes our toughest sale is the internal sale, and nowhere is that more true than when we are dealing with a challenging procurement situation. This is true because all of our internal stakeholders have their own unique motivations. Finance's needs vary depending upon the state of the business, Solution Design wants a highly qualified deal before engaging and the leadership team may want more opportunities in the pipeline, regardless of the validity of the deal. After all, even a bad deal looks pretty good in an otherwise empty pipeline. You, on the other hand, want support for a difficult decision. If you turn down an opportunity to react to a bad deal in order to proactively go after a new opportunity, you know you are exposed even if your logic is sound.

As we've written in previous Tips, we have many different options to consider when dealing with procurement, from following the rules to walking away to offering a compromise, and many more. After careful consideration, you are ready to proceed, and now need to sell your decision internally.

Of course, nothing is better than to have the direct and visible support of your manager and other senior executives. If you have this, great! However, just because you have this support doesn't mean your sales effort is over. Get others engaged, do your research and understand the perspectives of the key players on your team. This knowledge will help you to build a solid business case that backs up your decision.

To make your case in the most compelling manner possible, follow the IMPAX "Them-Us-Fit-Action" flow and present your case proactively to the right people on your team to get them on board.