Within the framework of two antonyms (buy and sell), when we take them to the context of the buyer’s and seller’s jobs, we find several similarities that will make our work in supply more efficient. Although we may all be clear that the sales teams are trained, as it is something of our daily life we ​​can overlook that our suppliers in the sales and negotiation stages are normally prepared and trained for that interaction , so we have the challenge of living up to that interaction to obtain the most favorable results for our organizations.

How to adapt this role to our reality?

Below are some things that professional sellers do that can (or should) be replicated, adapting them to our reality as buyers:

Professionalize our trade

Sales people are trained, hold conventions and simulate sales scenarios. They know that you must have the right attitude, the right expressions and the empathy necessary to build trust. This is why it is essential to train ourselves, have specialized knowledge and have a network that allows us to emulate purchasing “conventions” to always be updated and challenge ourselves to be better professionals.

Assimilate our reality

It is clear that in the role of buyer we usually have the power of negotiations, except in specific cases where the supplier has a dominant position, we are accustomed to suppliers being accommodating at the level of form in interactions. We must be aware that we can use this advantage to our advantage, without falling into agreements that lead to unfair or unsustainable businesses. Contracts materialize between people and this implies that we must be affable and fair-minded, which does not contradict having clear objectives and positions.

Use technology

Sellers use a CRM ( Customer Relationship Management)  and have written our profiles, contact history, tastes, key dates and more. If we enter into negotiations with a supplier about whom we have no information, we will be at an imminent disadvantage.

Therefore, the concept of SRM ( Supplier Relationship Management) is essential; it must first be implemented as a business process, then leveraged through a technological enabler.

Discipline

Consistency is essential in sales, and this means being disciplined and preparing the details. A negotiation will surely be much more successful if we know the market for the category we are negotiating, if we are clear about the possible sources of supply and if we question what is presented to us and pay attention to structuring what is best for our companies. Our role as buyers must be proactive, and permeating this culture of discipline to the other actors in the supply chain (user area, finance, legal) will have a very positive impact on our management.

We must keep in mind that we are all sellers in one way or another in our daily lives, to the extent that we sell ideas, projects and arguments.

Knowing how to communicate them clearly will allow us to implement improvement plans in our areas and be more forceful in committee approvals; leaving an image of a solid and robust area before the companies’ senior management. The above will lead to increasingly opening up the viability of the supply role as an agent of change at a strategic level.