Supply Managers agree the single source negotiation often results in the Supply Manager feeling less than powerful, and/or an opportunity focused Supplier makes them feel like they have been taken advantage of.  One-sided negotiations seemingly expedite even the best Supply Managers to thinking they are in a very difficult to win situation.  Indeed this very line of thought creates a very powerful fear, and one of the most persistent myths in negotiations, the assumption of a fixed pie negotiation.

"The Internet is rife with webinars, but they are often scripted and contain more promotion than knowledge. We want to provide a forum for real discussion and differences of opinion," comments Dave Stein, Founder and CEO of ESR.   It's ESR's mission to help those seeking sales performance improvement solutions to find the right long-term partners. Stein is moderating this unscripted, unedited panel discussion on today’s hot button sales issues.

Do you believe good negotiators are born, not made?  Do you think it's a matter of using tips and tricks to counteract every move the other party makes?  What if negotiation is an analytical process by which you gather data and test its accuracy?  And the more data you collect, the better deals you make!

I was recently sent a copy of a HBS article entitled “Seven tips for managing price increases.” I think that in today’s economy, it is not only tough to get a price increase approved by a customer, but it is something we shouldn’t have to deal with at all. So I asked myself: Why do we (as B2B salespeople) put ourselves through this time and again? Because, no matter what the reason for wanting the price increase might be, it is not going to be well-received by our customers. In many industries, such as the chemicals industry, price increases are nothing more than a necessary evil that everyone has learned to deal with. So, instead of thinking of all the tactics and maneuvers that can be used to introduce price increases; why don’t we find a way to avoid them altogether?

I was reading an article in the Harvard Business Review, which said that according to a survey on Customer Loyalty, by far the biggest driver (53%) was “the sales experience.” Now, I’m no marketing guru, but to me this is just common sense. If you have a pleasant and rewarding experience, why wouldn’t you want to remain a customer of that company?

As negotiators, many times we focus on closing the deal, and reaching an agreement with our customers within bounds of what we deem fair and profitable for both parties. But isn’t it also true that through this process we can exchange information in a way that is conducive to growing the relationship and the experience?

Join us on Wednesday, November 8, 2011, at SAMA U for an intensive workshop geared to expand your knowledge and capabilities in the area of business negotiation.  This one-day workshop will be facilitated by Carrie Welles, VP, Global Customer Management at Think! Inc.

97% of verbal negotiation tactics globally follow a very, very predictable pattern.  Does that astound you?  It did us!  And we've been on a relentless pursuit for negotiation alternatives for years!

Over the next two months ES Research will be moderating four, unscripted, unrehearsed panel discussions on today's pressing sales issues. 

As you look at the panelists below, you might not recognize all their names or their companies. This is a good thing. It means that there are real experts out there who might have the right solutions to overcome your selling challenges but perhaps represent smaller firms, haven't invested in heavily in marketing, or aren't active in the social media.

Click here to view the press release on these events.

It's ESR's mission to help those seeking sales performance improvement solutions to find the right long-term partners.

Join online to listen, ask questions, and get valuable insights from 16 industry leaders.

• Registration is free and easy
• Each expert panel lasts 1 hour
• Four expert panelists per session (and don't expect them to agree on everything -- or anything!)
• Not a typical webinar.  No selling, no pitches, no promotions
• Questions taken by phone live from the audience

It seems that most of us, even younger salespeople, were taught to sell by upselling our own products and services. This model is completely outdated given the current demands of procurement agents and business people.

Do a search on negotiation training and you'll come up with over 2 million results!  How do you know what to look for, and ultimately choose, for your organization?  I'd like to bring some fresh thinking to the subject of selecting a business negotiation training firm.