Procurement Alarm! Spies are sneaking around your company. They’re leaking information and your suppliers are robbing you blind.
The term “conspiracy theory” has been on everybody’s lips in the last decade and it seems to have gained popularity since2020. There are the perpetrators and the deniers but regardless of which side you’re on, the marketplace and society in general, have been buzzing. What’s real and what’s not?
An inside job
Regrettably, we have the scoop - a conspiracy that has moved into the realm of proven fact: your company is leaking information all the time.
Your suppliers have double agents working within your organization and guess what, they’re your own people! They are victims of backdoor selling.
Your employees form relationships with suppliers. All these relationships are amiable and innocuous - good relationships are, after all, what good sales are based on. Much to the dismay of those who carefully maintain these very valuable relationships, a large majority of employees are untrained and unaware of the sensitivity of the information that they unwittingly share.
Even more disconcerting is the fact that the deception is happening in plain sight and the perpetrators aren’t aware of the damage they’re doing. The best salespeople from the opposition are picking this information up and using it as leverage against you.
Information is the currency of negotiation and in this battle, the one who creates the informational asymmetry has the power.
Too many lost battles stack up and may lose you the war. Your suppliers are fully aware of this fact.
Imagine the frustration!
As a company you are striving to drive the best net value from your suppliers, maximizing quality and service, driving innovation and delivering the most competitive price. Your suppliers, conversely, are doing everything possible to increase and acquire new business from you at the highest possible price.
Many of your suppliers are doing a pretty good job by executing a common sales technique, gaining access to your company, seeking as much information as possible and leveraging that to their advantage.
Imagine the frustration of your procurement team. They know about backdoor selling because they're trained to spot it.
They would never let it happen on their watch. But because of the thousands of contact points for sales, the task of trying to plug all the leaks in the boat becomes a seemingly insurmountable challenge. The competition is cutting the legs out from under your procurement team.
It’s just a jump to the left and then a shift to the right…
Your suppliers are looking to reduce your negotiating leverage.
They're looking to pre-negotiate the negotiables so they can eliminate the need for negotiating. They're doing this by getting decision-makers to agree beforehand thus circumventing your negotiation procurement processes.
The unwitting moles in your company are merrily giving away information about price volumes, market share, competitors ,customers, terms, conditions, company financials, payment terms and a lot more.
Is it becoming clearer to you that it’s vital to train your employees to identify which information is sensitive and can be used against you?
Empowering your own people to recognize the principles these ace salespeople are using to steal your information?
And yes, they are being trained in the art! It could be something as “innocent” as taking someone in engineering out for a beer. If engineers knew how to identify the type of questions salespeople would be asking and how they should be answered, the playing field is levelled and you can stop negotiating from your back foot.
Inside information
My counter-espionage “Prevent Backdoor Selling” course teaches you what's being taught in the best sales organizations at “spy school”.
I taught at the academy- I used the techniques they are using on you for over 15 years, so I can help you stop it. I can show you what key skills and principles the top sales people are using to steal your information and use it against you.
I will teach you what kind of questions they are asking and how your organization should be answering them.
