I hope that you enjoyed the article “Use Negotiation Skills To Elevate Purchasing.”

The premise behind the article is that there is a difference in perception as to when a negotiation begins. Many buying organizations think that negotiation begins when a requisition – with a virtually unchangeable supplier suggestion – is handed over to the purchasing department.

When do sales organizations start the negotiation process?

With the very first communication with a buying organization!

So, if that first communication is with an engineer, end-user, or other internal customers, the negotiation has begun whether the buying organization’s representative knows it or not. And, if that person is not a truly skilled negotiator (not whether they think they are, but truly are), he or she is probably being taken advantage of by the savvy seller.

The bottom line is this: if a purchase is expected to exceed a certain value, the purchasing department should be given the opportunity to be involved in that first communication and every subsequent communication as well. Deviate from this recommendation, and your organization’s ability to maximize the value from the deal is severely limited. (Zolpidem)

Recommended Reading

• Incorporating Value-Driven Procurement Into Negotiations
• Negotiation Checklist
• Negotiation No-No’s

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