The past 30 years have been an exciting time in the field of business negotiation.  We moved past the era of "win-lose" negotiations training and beyond the simplicity of "win-win" messages.  Leading thinkers in negotiation now realize that it is critical to think simultaneously about creating value and claining your share.

In the video below, Carrie Welles tells you in her own words about negotiating strategically and changing the conversation from the price of your products / services to the value of your solutions.  Carrie faciliates Strategic Negotiation for both Think! Inc. and for the Strategic Account Management Association's (SAMA's) certification program.    

The role of a Strategic Account Manager (SAM) is a specialized position within a supplier organization and deserving of a standardized program of professional development to appropriately and effectively equip individuals with the critical knowledge and skill-set for managing their company’s most important clients. Although SAM roles differ across different firms, business models, industries and markets, SAMA has documented a fundamental combination of capabilities that are essential to almost all.

SAMA’s certification program emerged from years of collaborative research and benchmarking with leading companies, SAMs and sales professionals as well as the expertise of academics, subject experts and consultants who work with these firms every day. The result is a comprehensive program that incorporates a solid SAM competency model, multi-rater assessments, integrated curriculum of nine in-person courses, e-learning modules, continuous support for the SAM candidate and manager of the SAM, and a final review process for the CSAM certification award.

For additional information on the SAM certification program, go to www.strategicaccounts.org.