Sales professionals now confront the most serious threat to their success. Regardless of their size, industry, country, customer type, nature of the relationship or amount of value they provide, sales professionals are finding that purchasing decisions are increasingly being limited by procurement. The modern procurement function is purchasing on steroids. Where traditional purchasing managers negotiated, procurement officials attempt to dictate.  Procurement deploys a variety of tactics designed to do one thing: gain unprecedented discounts and concessions out of even the most sophisticated sales professionals.  This book is a strategy guide for salespeople to help them level the procurement playing field by showing readers how to assess the game procurement plays, describing proven ways to resist discounting and protect margins, demonstrating ways to keep value at the forefront of negotiations, offering targeted tactics to protect hard-earned profits from mindless discounting, and detailing eight strategies effective in any type of pricing negotiation.  This book will be an invaluable resource for B2B sales professionals, customer-facing professionals, and executives responsible for leading successful sales organizations.

Table of Contents:
Introduction    1 Part I THE GREAT GAME OF PROCUREMENT    15 Chapter 1 Tough Selling—The New Normal    17 Company-Supported Sales Traps to Avoid     20 Encouraging Desperation Pricing     20 Succumbing to the “White Horse Syndrome”     21 There Is Hope if You Play the Game Right     24 Chapter 2 The Tells of the Game     27 Recognizing “Tells”     28 Evaluating Procurement’s Position     31 Dealing with Procurement Styles     33 Chapter 3 Stacking the Deck in Your Favor     37 Understanding Your Customer’s Game     39 Finding Your Hidden Power     41 Limiting Exposure of Senior Executives     42 Firing the Customer     44 Avoiding the Endowment Effect     46 Customer Games     49 Chapter 4 Getting the Tactics Right the First Time     51 Qualify, Qualify, Qualify     52 Understand Your Foundation of Value     56 Develop Give-Get Options     59 Try Give-Get Bluffs     63 Provide Value-Added Services     64 Use the Concepts of Scarcity and Availability     65 Provide Choices     66 Map the Buying Center     67 Where Appropriate, Build Trust     70 Use the Policy Ploy     72 Delay, Delay, Delay     73 Redefine Risk     75 Dealing with Reverse Auctions     78 Do Your Homework     81 Part II EIGHT KNOCK-’EM-DEAD SCENARIOS FOR WINNING THE GAME    83 Chapter 5 Negotiating with Price Buyers     89 Price Buyers     90 Scenario 1: The Penny Pincher     93 Considerations for How to Price the Deal and the Negotiation for Penny Pinchers     94 Planning the Negotiation for Penny Pinchers     94 Scenario 2: The Scout     99 Assessing the Price Buyer Position and Tactics for Scouts     101 Considerations for How to Price the Deal and the Negotiation for Scouts     101 Planning the Scout Negotiation     101 Chapter 6 Negotiating with Relationship Buyers     105 Relationship Buyers     106 Scenario 3: In the Pack     108 Assessing the Buyer Position and Tactics if You Are in the Pack     109 Considerations for How to Price the Deal and the Negotiation if You Are in the Pack     110 Planning the “in the Pack” Negotiation      110 Scenario 4: The Patient Outsider     112 Assessing the Buyer Position and Tactics for the Patient Outsider     115 Considerations for How to Price the Deal and the Negotiation     116 Planning the Patient Outsider Negotiation     116 Chapter 7 Negotiating with Value Buyers     119 Value Buyers     120 Scenario 5: The Player     122 Assessing the Buyer Position and Tactics of the Value Buyer     123 Considerations for How Price Plays in the Deal and the Negotiation     123 Planning the Player Negotiation     124 Scenario 6: The Crafty Outsider     126 Planning the Crafty Outsider Negotiation     128 Chapter 8 Negotiating with Poker Players     131 Poker Players     132 Scenario 7: The Advantaged Player     135 Assessing Buyer Position and Tactics for the Advantaged Player     138 Considerations for How Price Plays in the Deal and the Negotiation for the Advantaged Player     138 Planning the Advantaged Player Negotiation     138 Scenario 8: The Rabbit     141 Assessing the Buyer Position and Tactics for Rabbits     141 Considerations for How Price Plays in the Deal and the Negotiation     142 Planning the Rabbit Negotiation     142 Advanced Gamesmanship     143 Part III IT’S A NEGOTIATION, NOT A SURRENDER    147 Chapter 9 Beware the Signs of a Losing Game     149 Don’t Kid Yourself     150 Get a Devil’s Advocate     153 Beware Red Flags     154 Customers Have No Experience with You or Your Firm     154 Procurement Runs the Process Tightly     155 The Process Is Controlled at the Manager Level     155 Buyer Has a Well-Established Incumbent     156 Sales Is Unable to Get to the Decision Maker     157 Buyer’s Focus Is Only on Price and Says That All Products Are Commodities     158 Chapter 10 The Realities of the Game    161 Sometimes You Have to Discount     161 Remember a Simple Checklist     164 Develop Your Playbook     165 Don’t Be a Victim     166 Get Some Backbone     167 Index    175