With more than 40 years of cumulative experience in strategic selling and leadership, UpTempo's founders regularly share tips we learned along the way.
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If you are selling into large organizations and want to expand those partnerships, you are guaranteed to enter procurement.
Procurement is not your enemy! Let me repeat - procurement is NOT YOUR ENEMY!
You don’t need to avoid them in the evaluation process, even if your champions procrastinate in involving Strategic Sourcing.
Sales and Procurement actually have a lot in common! The procurement team's job is to find the best value for the company. A salesperson’s job is to provide the best value to that company. WIN-WIN! Not only should you be working together - by collaborating, you can achieve better outcomes. Who knows, your procurement partner may even become a guide in your next sales cycle there.
At UpTempo, we have combined 40+ years of sales leadership and strategic sales experience. Having learned many lessons through trial and error, here are a couple of tips:
Procurement is often seen as the “bad guy,” wanting to commoditize your product and squeeze you for every penny. We must nix this perception. Instead, build trust over your common goals - helping the business achieve its outcomes. A knowledgeable and trustworthy Category Manager on the Procurement team can help you circumvent pitfalls along the way.
To build trust, you will need to make sure your contact is aligned on the current challenges and desired project outcomes.
Do they fully understand the opportunity cost if the problem goes unsolved? This understanding may help your relationship with the business, leading to additional introductions within the company.
Once you are aligned, it is essential to ensure Strategic Sourcing understands your product and the value it can provide to their organization.
Don’t play games with Procurement. Think long-term. Be responsive and transparent. Once they trust you and understand the value you and your product can bring to the company, they may proactively bring you into future conversations.
Just so you know, priorities and budgets can change over time, so please stay in touch with your Procurement contacts. These relationships can be beneficial during expansion and renewal discussions in years to come.
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