The role of the procurement function in the supply chain is accepted by modern business leaders. Negotiation is one of the core skills needed for a procurement professional. Following are some of the compelling reasons for training procurement professionals in negotiation skills.
- It is not only about the best price anymore. Beating down a supplier on price may work once. Modern procurement negotiation is about how to get the best deal by projecting the right brand name for your company and creating sustainable supplier relationships.
- Sales professionals undergo rigorous negotiation and sales training on a regular basis. Procurement professionals need training in negotiation to create win-win relation with these trained sales negotiators and get the best value for their employers.
- The role of the procurement professional is to understand the 'real interests' of the internal customer and source the product or service. The task of finding the 'real interest' of the internal customer is a consultative task and that involves much more than a canned approached to procurement.
