When buyers are salespeople too
Buyers have a lot on their plates. Getting costs down forms part of a delicate web of other priorities, including sustainability, SRM and risk – to name but a few.
Purchasers can now add selling to this list. OK, it’s not an obvious task, but according to procurement coach Neil Deverill, it should be a vital part of the day job. He says purchasers must decide what key suppliers want from clients and then make their organisation attractive to those vendors. This will help secure the best price, best capacity and the “A-team of engineers or specialists”.
I believe this is a compelling argument. Beat the competition and achieve all your other objectives at the same time. You can’t say fairer than that. Yet it is a strategy I have rarely heard mentioned by senior purchasers.
Is salesmanship key to becoming a good buyer?
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Absolutely!
This has been a large part of my working Ethos for a number of years. If you can sell your company to the supplier or manufacturer you nearly always secure a better deal or terms; and in effect you have adversely sold to them, as they believe by giving you the best deal they have made a koo by securing your business.