Knowing as much as possible about the person you negotiate with is always good advice. And it’s no different when the person on the other side of the negotiating table is a procurement professional. Here are some of the types of things you need to know: What’s Category Management? Let’s take a closer look at […] The post Selling to Procurement: How to prepare for successful negotiations appeared first on Procurement Cube ..read more

Environmental, social, and governance – or ESG for short – is a hot topic. In fact, it has been a hot topic for some time now. But lately it’s been getting even hotter. And there are a number of reasons for that. There’s a climate crisis unfolding, which has highlighted the urgency for all, including […] The post A stepwise approach to improving ESG in the supply chain appeared first on Procurement Cube ..read more

When Procurement issues a Request For Proposal (RFP, aka tender), it is not uncommon that the requirements have already been influenced by one or more suppliers. And that’s a problem if you are not one of those suppliers. It’s a problem because it adversely affects your odds of winning the RFP. Once the RFP has […] The post Selling to Procurement: How to avoid Procurement… at first appeared first on Procurement Cube ..read more

If you are in B2B sales, it’s almost inevitable that you will be having negotiations with your prospects’ Procurement departments. That can be quite an unsettling experience. Most procurement professionals have been formally trained in the art of negotiating. Contrast that with the estimated 5% of sales professionals that have had any negotiating training whatsoever. […] The post Selling to Procurement: 10 insider negotiation tips Procurement doesn’t want you to know about appeared first on Procurement Cube ..read more

Something has slowly been changing in the world of Procurement. And it impacts you as a B2B sales person. Procurement continues to slowly, but surely, gain more and more importance and influence in large and medium sized companies. In fact, Procurement has now become an unavoidable stakeholder, with the power to obstruct or facilitate a […] The post Selling to Procurement: The intelligent way of dealing with Procurement appeared first on Procurement Cube ..read more

Do you think of your prospects’ Procurement departments as your adversaries? People to avoid for as long as possible? Blockers that delay or diminish your deal? Or perhaps as people that make things difficult for you at the negotiating table? Some sales coaches advocate for taking a partnering approach to sales. But does that also […] The post Selling to Procurement: Bestselling author and sales coach believes in partnering with Procurement appeared first on Procurement Cube ..read more

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 […] The post Selling to Procurement: Are unsuccessful negotiations with Procurement hurting your sales? appeared first on Procurement Cube ..read more

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 […] The post Selling to Procurement: This is why Procurement treats your product or service like a commodity appeared first on Procurement Cube ..read more

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 […] The post Selling to Procurement: Think Procurement only cares about price? You’re wrong! appeared first on Procurement Cube ..read more

“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 […] The post Selling to Procurement: Get stronger at pushing back against Procurement appeared first on Procurement Cube ..read more