Holden Advisors Blog

Smart salespeople distinguish themselves from the pack of competitors. They are game changers, and they don’t wait to be pursued by potential customers. Game changers are assertive and effective as they challenge—with diplomacy—a customer’s viewpoint.  They think strategically and target potential opportunities that a customer may not yet realize exists, or they recast the way a customer views its situation.  If a customer appears to have little interest, a game changer reframes the conversation to build a compelling business case. It is a honed persona cultivated from an investment in thoughtful preparation,planning and confident execution.    

With the media full of reported bullying incidents in politics, schools, on sports teams, and in the work place, why do so many sales professionals put up with these similar tactics demonstrated by procurement? Some bullying experiences are subtle while some are more outrageous than others – downright kamikaze!  Negotiating Backbone is imperative for today's sellers.

At this moment, your organization may be planning price increases for 2016.  Price setting is one thing, while ‘price getting’ is quite another.  In a recent poll, I asked participants, “How many organizations lacked discounting discipline?” and, most hands went up. I followed this question with another, “How many of you are planning price increases for next year?” and, again most hands went up.  If you are old enough to have been a fan of the former cartoon series, Scooby-Doo, the response “Ruh-roh” might come to mind.  Without fixing the former issue and arming the sales force with the skills and mindset to achieve the latter, any attempts to increase prices will meet the same fate.  Furthermore, if you do fix the former, the latter may not be necessary.