James was sitting in the coffee shop with his sales manager, Sophie preparing for their meeting upstairs on Level 31.

Sophie: ‘Today, I’m going to introduce you to the greatest decision maker of all time’

James: ‘What, Donald Trump?’

Sophie: ‘Funny….You really should read material that contains more than cartoons and coloring pages’

James: ‘Don’t worry, I read Harvard, AFR and subscribe to a bunch of sales blogs… I know the latest trends in selling, LinkedIn, ROI analysis, client personality styles…remember that offsite with the weird facilitator in the orange socks that kept categorising us as blue sheep or green dogs or something. He suggested pigeon-holing all of our clients as if they were one dimensional…then we all got pissed’.

Sophie: ‘I remember the bar bill very well…now to today. We’re meeting Mr Selfin Terest, Intergalactic Head of Global Infrastructure and Resources’.

James: ‘Wow….the big cheese….Selfin?…isn’t he Scandinavian or Belgian or something?

Sophie: ‘Dutch’

James: ‘Well, as Nigel Powers famously said ‘There’s only two things I hate. People who are intolerant of other people’s cultures and the Dutch’.

Sophie: ‘Concentrate, will you?….Selfin has your proposal and he has agreed to discuss it with us now’.

Level 31 (After pleasantries and stale water is served)

Selfin: ‘Let me be really honest with you…when we first came to see you, we asked for a solution that was innovative and cost effective that gave us an edge over our competitors’.

Frankly, whilst the ideas you’ve put forward have lots of potential, we can’t see the payoff for at least three years’

James: ‘Yes, that’s the ROI we discussed at the start based on justifying the investment and….

Sophie: ‘Let Mr Terest finish please James’.

Selfin: ‘We’ve chosen a less expensive solution that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles but certainly plugs a hole for the next 12 months. Rest assured, we’re happy to revisit it then and thanks so much for all your time and effort… I’m sure it won’t be wasted for other bids you have’

Back in the coffee shop

James: ‘I don’t get it. We put months into this, it covered their projected growth over three years and gave them a chance to get ahead of their competitors.

Sophie: ’ Yes, James …but there’s one thing you didn’t uncover….Selfin is moving back to the Netherlands next month and he doesn’t believe his team here is capable of such a transition, regardless of the merits of the solution. The last thing he wants is to be jumping on planes to sort out a new implementation that he is still accountable for in his global role out of Amsterdam’.

James: ‘How the hell do you know all that?’

Sophie: ‘ While you were working on the proposal I was working on Selfin and questioning his every move, pattern of decision making, career objectives and immediate goals. That’s how I found out about his family’s decision to move back. We both know how underqualified his team are, so I knew we were dead in the water with our so-called ‘innovative solution’. I didn’t tell you because I wanted you to go through it yourself…and besides, I’ve sandbagged another deal for you anyway’.

James: ‘Bloody Selfin Terest’

Sophie: ‘Exactly, James – the greatest decision maker of all time’

James: ‘Thanks Sophie …anyway, good news is there’s a PokeStop at this café and I think there’s a Pikachu nearby’.

Elliot Epstein is a leading Sales Expert, Pitch Consultant, Keynote Speaker, and Corporate Trainer who gets sales results rapidly. He has coached and trained high profile corporates globally in presenting, selling, negotiating and pitching. He has spoken at over 1500 conferences and workshops for leading companies such as HP, SEEK, Avaya, Hitachi , Computershare, Lend Lease and Asciano.

He is internationally renowned for ensuring sessions are fresh, engaging, interactive and relevant to winning business in competitive markets.

E: elliote@salientcommunication.com.au

www.salesversusprocurement.com