Let’s say you’re a procurement professional working to manage spend for labor contracts. You’ve broken down the hours, and you even understand the allocation of cost. You’ve done your homework to make sure money isn’t being hidden. Everything looks good, so you get a contract in place. The problem is—even if you’ve done it all on the front end—managing a labor-based contract at a site-based level is a significant nuisance. If it’s a time and…
The Importance of Questions in the Forensic Interviewing and Interrogation Process
One of the things that makes Michael Reddington’s skin crawl is the phrase “buyers are liars.” He emphasizes that it’s not true, not any more than anyone else. Everyone has goals and will strategically share information that’s likely to help them achieve those goals. That’s not dishonesty; it’s interest protection. Prior to any interaction where you need information, you have to think about the reasons why your counterparty shouldn’t share the information with you. Michael…
Why “Rationale” Questions are Key in the Negotiation Process
According to Deb Calvert, the purpose of a rationale question is to understand the decision that has been made and what has gotten you to the point you’re at in a negotiation. You need to know what the criteria will be for the ultimate decision. If you can get some of this information and insight beforehand, it’s helpful. These are definitely great questions in the midst of the negotiation as well. What will be your criteria?…
Unpopular Opinion: Bad Data is Worse than No Data
Susan Walsh firmly believes that you have to know how much you’re spending, what it’s being spent on, and the competitors you’re spending it with. But how many companies know what they’re spending their money on? Most of the clients that approach Susan don’t have classified data. Of those that do, it’s worse than not having data all. Why? Because dirty data is immensely misleading. Susan emphasizes that “You can make worse decisions with wrong…
Want to Stand Out As a Salesperson? Here’s How
If you want to differentiate yourself from the competition as a salesperson, what do you do? How do you make your product or service stand out? How do you stand out as a salesperson? Tom Williams argues that you need to start by understanding where you fit in the process. How is your procurement counterpart looking at the sale? Take a look at the Kraljic matrix. The Kraljic matrix The Kraljic Matrix is a four-quadrant…