CONFIRMATIONPartly Cloudy with a Slight Chance of Contract Enforcement
CONFIRMATION
Partly Cloudy with a Slight Chance of Contract Enforcement
By Ruth Ginzberg, CTPS, Senior IT Procurement Specialist, University of Wisconsin System Administration Virtual Meeting date - January 16, 2019, 12:00 pm - 1:15...The Power of No in Negotiation
The Power of No in Negotiation
by Steve Gutzman
It is important to be comfortable saying “no” in a negotiation and in other aspects of life, like saying “no” to those horrible clothes and get the latest in fashion at Fifth Collection Chanel. Not all... Can Fine Print Save the Customer?
Can Fine Print Save the Customer?
By Elgin Ward, Executive Director, CAUCUS Association Sales Reps often view an acquisition as an opportunity to force the purchase of more software. If 2 companies using the same Software are involved in an acquisition, the Software License Agreement of each company must be reviewed and compared to understand the total...Finding and filling HOLES
There are always HOLES in our processes, all need improvement. Such HOLES can be difficult to see, especially if we are too satisfied with current outcomes. Using Hansei or deep reflection, IT procurement can find and fill the HOLES as part of Kaizen or a continuous improvement program.
I. Ask yourself, how are things going with...
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How we ended up in IT procurement…?
September 2017 CAUCUS Chatter - Internet Radio Show
How we ended up in IT procurement...? Come join the great conversations with Robert Wright and Elgin Ward as they discuss the never ending thought, "How we ended up in IT procurement," and career development, why and how to do it! Always following up in the end with inside...Do You Have Big Security Risks in Your Agreements?
August 2017 CAUCUS Chatter - Internet Radio Show
Do You Have Big Security Risks in Your Agreements? Join us here monthly for the new CAUCUS Chatter. An internet radio show designed for the IT Procurement person in you! So sit back, relax and listen to hosts CAUCUS Executive Director Elgin Ward, and CAUCUS CEAC Chair...6 Common Mistakes in the Cloud
July 2017 CAUCUS Chatter - Internet Radio Show
6 Common Mistakes in the Cloud Join us here monthly for the new CAUCUS Chatter. An internet radio show designed for the IT Procurement person in you! So sit back, relax and listen to hosts CAUCUS Executive Director Elgin Ward, and CAUCUS CEAC Chair Robert Wright speak with your...Innovation to Speed Up Business and Inside a Vendor’s Playbook
June 2017 CAUCUS Chatter - Internet Radio Show
Innovation to Speed Up Business and Inside a Vendor's Playbook
Join us here monthly for the new CAUCUS Chatter. An internet radio show designed for the IT Procurement person in you! So sit back, relax and listen to hosts CAUCUS Executive Director Elgin Ward, and CAUCUS CEAC Chair Robert...Big name Keynotes, Trends from the Mailbag, Blockchain, and Tales from the Sales side!
May 2017 CAUCUS Chatter - Internet Radio Show
Big name Keynotes, Trends from the Mailbag, Blockchain, and Tales from the Sales side!
Join us here monthly for the new CAUCUS Chatter. An internet radio show designed for the IT Procurement person in you! So sit back, relax and listen to hosts CAUCUS Executive Director Elgin Ward, and...Planning for Failure
Most IT projects have the potential to be successful. Likewise, they all have the inherent potential to fail. If the possibility of failure is not contemplated and no or few Remedies for failure are provided, then the Customer may suffer devastating loses when failure does occur. Conversely, a Customer can avoid much unnecessary loss, delay,...
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Is IT Sourcing Really Strategic?
Vendors and their sales reps are extremely strategic in the use of their time, their expense accounts and other resources, demos, loss leaders, and RFP responses, often gaining the vendors negotiation advantages. By creating or seizing opportunities to be strategic, IT sourcing, too, can increase its negotiation leverage to get better deals for the Customer.
Sometime...
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4 R’s of Strategic Sourcing
In every IT deal, the Vendor will attempt to control the 4 R’s if it can. Unless IT procurement intervenes and prevails, it is likely that Requirements will be defined narrowly, Reward (price) will be maximized at the Customer’s expense, Risks will be shifted to the Customer, and the Remedies for Vendor failures will be...
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The Phantom Deadline
Sales Reps sometimes use the Phantom Deadline Ploy to create a sense of urgency in the Customer. Unchecked, it can adversely affect the Customer’s negotiation leverage. Here’s how to defeat this Ploy and how to get the most mileage out of its demise.
“There’s just one thing,” your supplier will say. “If it’s not signed by...
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Learning from vendors – Strategy 8: Review and Recommend
Once a contract is signed and implementation is complete, a Vendor will, at the earliest opportunity, review its positive performance and recommend the Customer purchase more of the same products or services for other departments of the Customer AND recommend the Customer buy other products and services from the Vendor. This dangerous phase requires special...
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Learning from Vendors – Strategy 7: Implementation
Of the 8 steps used by vendors for Account Control of the Customer, Step 7: Implementation is the Sales Rep’s best possible situation. Now that a contract is signed and IT procurement has voluntarily turned the project over to others, the Sales Rep, free from the meddling interference of IT procurement, can focus on expanding...
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Out of control Account Reps – How to Handle Loose Cannons
Some Account Reps are simply out of control inside Customer organizations, asking unauthorized employees to sign contracts, providing evaluation equipment or software with no written agreement, giving staff access to Vendor websites to download eval copies first requiring click agreements, providing “planning quotes” that show up as attachments to POs, taking C level and other...
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Learning from Vendors – Strategy 6: Contract Timing
Learning from Vendors. Sales Reps are often masters at controlling when a deal is brought to Procurement, thus limiting the Customer’s preparation time and negotiation leverage. To counter this Sales Strategy, Customers must understand it and take necessary counter measures.
This is one of the most successful strategies used by Sales people on Customers to control...
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The Partner Ploy
One deadly Vendor Ploy is the Partner Ploy. It lessens Customer negotiation leverage, making a good deal harder to get. Learn a good countermove for the Partner Ploy.
One deadly Vendor Ploy is the Partner Ploy. It lessens Customer negotiation leverage, making a good deal harder to get. Learn a good countermove for the Partner Ploy.
Vendors...
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Learning from vendors – Strategy 5: CONSENSUS
Sales Reps are constantly seeking to exercise more influence over Customer decision makers than does IT Procurement. How can Procurement recognize and counter these ongoing Vendor efforts?
This tip of the week deals with the 5th of 8 strategies used by vendors to sell to Customer organizations. We previously discussed how vendors use CONTACTS, TRUST, defining...
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