The Importance of a Sales Process
—How do you warm up a sale? How do you interact with prospects? How do you build rapport? In episode #293 of Negotiations Ninja, Kim Orlesky points out that people have a weird assumption that the sales process is simply picking up the phone and “giving it a go.” But many people don’t realize that there’s a process behind outreach, rapport building, etc. If there isn’t a process, there should... Read more
How Procurement Can Defend Their Interests in a Market that Favors Suppliers
The one thing that is never disputed is that procurement teams are lean, overburdened, understaffed, and asked to do the work of 2–3 people. Even if you do want to manage spend, you don’t have the time—or team—to do it. FInd out how procurement can defend their interests. Suppliers are taking advantage of procurement whenever possible Suppliers have learned that when the typical contract length is 3–5 years, they can... Read more
How Procurement Professionals Should Approach Intellectual Property Negotiations
Extreme boilerplate language in intellectual property clauses such as “Anything you enter the relationship with and create during the relationship is ours” can be concerning. It can raise red flags. And it makes intellectual property negotiations complicated. Legal teams do this to anchor the counterparty for easier negotiations. Understandably, they want to maintain and control the intellectual property coming into and being developed during the engagement. But there are likely things... Read more
How to “Say Less, Get More”
“Say Less, Get More” is Fotini Iconomopoulos’ latest book where she teaches negotiators unconventional ways to get what they want—i.e., say less to get more. But the average person avoids negotiating. Anything that could bruise egos, cause conflict, or make someone feel a sense of loss, can cause people distress. When this happens, Fotini sees people go into flight, fright, or freeze. It makes them tongue-tied and timid. No one... Read more
How a KGB Sleeper Agent became an Asset for the United States
Jack Barsky was born in 1949 in Eastern Germany as “Albrecht Dittrich.” At the time, Eastern Germany was occupied by the Soviets. Jack spent 26 years of his life in a Communist regime. He even obtained a Master’s Degree in Chemistry. But before he could start a career as a college professor, he was recruited by the KGB. In 1978—after five years of training in Moscow and Berlin—he was launched... Read more
Putting the Principles of Influence into Practice
Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE. He’s a keynote speaker, trainer, coach, and consultant who specializes in the science of influence and persuasion popularized by Robert Cialdini. Brian has written multiple books on the science of influence, including “Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical” and “Persuasive Selling.” To reach an entirely new audience, Brian decided to try his hand at writing... Read more
Buying and Selling a Business: Common Structures to Know
Many entrepreneurs may not have thought of ways to make a deal more beneficial. Or they don’t know the best way to structure a sale. That’s where a coach or advisor like Joe Valley comes into play. Joe points out that cash is a type of offer but there’s also cash plus a hold deck, cash plus a stability payment, cash plus a seller note, cash plus an earnout, cash... Read more
Trust in Negotiation is NOT a Necessity
Everyone has heard some version of the phrase, “We only do business with people we know and trust.” Many negotiators believe that trust is the thread that holds negotiations together. Allan Tsang and Dan Oblinger believe that is a lie. Trust is a luxury. Is it trust—or rapport? Trust is fragile. No one trusts anyone when they just meet them. You may have a gut feeling. You may like or dislike... Read more
Edmund Zagorin’s Three Keys to Attracting and Retaining Procurement Talent
Procurement leaders are being asked to do more than ever before with very few resources available. There aren’t enough hours in the day to complete everything on their plates. Digital projects are being added to their workload. Procurement is being asked to work harder now to save time eventually. But what do they prioritize? If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. When you get down to it,... Read more
Assessing Liquidated Damages in the SaaS Space
In a recent episode of Negotiations Ninja, Jeanette Nyden returned to talk about liquidated damages. She also addresses what liquidated damage(s) clauses look like in the SaaS space. So what are liquidated damages? Liquidated damages are not a penalty; It is money that a customer receives from a supplier for a value not received. You need to conduct a cost-analysis In Jeannette’s book, “The Contract Professional’s Playbook,” she talks about activity-based... Read more