Key Principles
Understanding the common reasons buyers push back.
Deciding which RFPs to chase and which to abandon. Knowing when to commit and when to walk away early.
Beware the Yes. Giving in to concessions without a trade destroys your perceived authority.
Recognizing which type of procurement buyer you're facing.
Strategic Alignment. Position your pitch so the person receives the solution exactly as intended.
Structuring give-gets that work (they're rarer than they should be).
Calculating your true leverage from facts, not feelings.
Getting past the first objection to the real problem.
I'm Not Buying It is unlike any other sales book you've read. It's written from the buyer's perspective rather than the seller's.
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Veteran procurement guy Michael Shields shares unvarnished perspectives from decades on the other side of the negotiating table. The insights from these vivid, real, and surprising stories turn stale sales truisms on their heads.
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You'll see how perception is leverage, which is how Shields snagged a 23% discount in a last-minute negotiation. How to trade, not concede, offering sweeteners that buyers value but hardly cost you anything. And how to negotiate together on the buyer's problem, not against each other.
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It's quirky, creative, and entertaining. It also shows that procurement is not the enemy. Success just means learning how they think. That's the path to less wasted effort and frustration, and faster, better, win-win deals for everybody."
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