treat-procurement-as-a-skilled-peer

How to Keep Your Seat When Procurement Enters the Room

By / / Procurement

In 30 seconds

The Problem: After months of strategic selling, the deal lands on a procurement officer’s desk whose mandate is to commoditise your offering and drive the price down. Salespeople either fight Procurement as an enemy or cave instantly, and both destroy hard-won value.

The Shift: Procurement is not the final boss. They are a new stakeholder with different KPIs: risk mitigation and total cost of ownership, not strategic outcomes. Translate your value into their language.

The Solution: Refuse to be isolated from your champion, sell on TCO and risk, never concede without extracting equal value in return, and treat Procurement as a skilled peer.

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ai-can-help-sales-but-we-need-human-knowledge

Selling in the Age of AI: Adapting to the Transformation of Procurement & B2B Sales

By / / AI & Data, Procurement, Value Based Selling

In 45 seconds

AI is transforming B2B sales by taking over routine, transactional decisions, acting as a data-driven gatekeeper for purchasing. For simple purchases, AI analyses options, predicts outcomes, and streamlines processes, reducing human involvement. However, in complex sales—like implementing supply chain solutions or sustainability initiatives—human expertise remains essential. Sellers must adapt by optimising product data for AI evaluation while leveraging uniquely human skills, such as trust-building, stakeholder alignment, and creative problem-solving. And most of all align AI provided analysis with these human factors and convey a conclusive/unamibiguous/compelling message (I’m thinking here about the fusion of AI skills and human skills, …

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top-5-barrett-blogs

The Top Five of Q1

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Blog, Business Growth, Collaboration, Communication, Competition, Everybody Lives By Selling Something, Human-centred, Leadership, Procurement, Sales Leadership, Sales Skills

It’s the end of Q1 here in Australia and these have been the five most read blogs this quarter.

1) In a fast-paced sales environment, reflection is often overlooked. However, taking time to analyse experiences is crucial for growth.

The Power of Reflection for Sales Success

2) Excellence in sales team performance relies on a balance between well-established processes and individual agency.

Trend 5 – Process AND Agency

3) The revelations of corruption in the building industry highlight longstanding issues such as kickbacks and bribery, which erode public trust and fair competition. A corruption-free industry …

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supplier beware

Big Fish, Small Bait: Suppliers Beware

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Blog, Buying, Procurement, Uncategorized

In 20 seconds

Small businesses beware. Big company contracts often favour the buyer. Watch out for red flags like unfair IP ownership, exclusivity clauses, and unclear payment terms. To negotiate a fair agreement, research industry practices, seek expert advice, build relationships with the procurement team, and be prepared to walk away if needed. Protect your IP and business, even against what it can look like tempting offers. Don’t be afraid to stand up for your business’s worth.

In (just over) 2 minutes

At the heart of Barrett’s Selling Better philosophy is creating the conditions for a fair exchange of value and mutual prosperity …

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Barrett-Sales-Trends-2023-Trend-5--The-Human-Approach-to-Procurement

The Human Approach to Procurement

By / / Blog, Procurement, Sales Trends

In Sales Trend 5 of Barrett’s 12 Sales Trends Report for 2023, Ben Shute talks about what it means for procurement to put humans at centre.

By guest author BEN SHUTE // Chief Executive Officer Comprara & Purchasing Index.   

In 30 seconds

The primary objective of procurement is to create value for the organisation, but the definition of ‘value’ is subject to change. Human-centred design and Environmental, Social & Governance are signs of this shift, as we now understand that profitability and doing what’s right are not mutually exclusive. A human-centred approach to procurement considers the needs of everyone …

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TheRaceToTheBottom

Does anyone benefit from a race to the bottom?

By / / Blog, Ethics & Values, Procurement, Sales Relationships

This is not the first time I have written about Race to the Bottom issues, nor will it likely be the last. However, I am prompted to raise this topic again given the rise in businesses, especially those in the building sector, going bust.

We work across industries and last week I was working with a B2B sales team in the building and construction sector about how to deal with their civil contractor clients who are caught in fixed price contracts (of their own making) with their developer clients and are now trying to avoid price increases with our client expecting …

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Barrett Sales Trends 2022 Decarbonising Sales Operations

Decarbonising Procurement

By / / 12 Sales Trends Pages Category, Blog, Decarbonising, Environment & Sustainability, Procurement, Sales Trends, Sustainability & Environment

In Sales Trend 5 of the Barrett 12 Sales Trends Report for 2022 guest author Ben Shute from Comprara talks about the role -and potential influence- of procurement in decarbonising.

By guest author Ben Shute – CEO, Comprara

Procurement Can Drive Decarbonisation

Hurricanes in the Philippines, cyclones in North and Central America, flash flooding in Afghanistan and, of course, bushfires in Australia. There’s no place in the world that isn’t immune to the devastating effects of global warming. As we draw inevitably closer to the 1.5°C increase in average global temperatures, things will only get worse. The …

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Our Fragility Has Been Exposed. Now What?

By / / 12 Sales Trends Pages Category, Attitudes & Behaviours, Blog, Buying, covid-19, Environment & Sustainability, Procurement

Sales trend 2 from the 12 Sales Trends for 2021 Report is about what Procurement can do to help businesses become thrivers and survivors.

By guest author Ben Shute, CEO of Comprara

For Barrett’s 12 Sales Trends Report last year, my article – We change, or we burn – argued that the Bronze Age collapse was a warning we should heed. Due to the complex logistical nature of the procurement process behind the production of bronze, the world of the Bronze Age was highly interconnected and interdependent. A drought in the Indus Valley, for instance, …

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Win3-tendering-for-you-your-client-and-for-the-benefit-of-others

Win³ – tendering for you, your client and for the benefit of others

By / / Blog, Competition, Environment & Sustainability, Procurement, Tendering

Blog Podcast

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Sales Trend 10 from the Barrett 12 Sales Trends Report for 2020 is about succeeding in tendering while remaining socially responsible.

This is a condensed version of Sales Trend 10, to read the original version you can download the report for free.

By guest authors Bidwrite

Can sustainable procurement really be delivered through competitive tendering?

To succeed in …

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We change, or we burn

By / / 12 Sales Trends Pages Category, Attitudes & Behaviours, Environment & Sustainability, Procurement

Sales Trend 5 from Barrett’s 12 Sales Trends Report for 2020 delves into the role of procurement in generating change towards sustainability within an organisation.

By guest author Ben Shute, CEO – Comprara & Purchasing Index

Proverbs and anecdotes

When I was asked to contribute to the Barrett 2020 Sales Trends Report, the invitation posed a question: “With everything we need for positive change and progress available to us now, why wait for a crisis to secure our future?” Immediately, all the proverbs warning against change jumped to mind. “If it …

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