Mladen D. Kresic is President and Chief Executive of K&R Negotiations, a consulting firm specializing in structuring and negotiating business transactions in the computer, software, Internet and other industries. Mladen has over 31 years experience negotiating business transactions both as a lawyer and a businessman.
I was recently asked to provide my thoughts on how to better align sales and marketing teams for a Forbes Councils expert panel. Given limited space, I answered as follows: “To align the combined sales and marketing team, the messaging and materials need to be consistent. Also, the marketing staff will benefit from sitting in […]
The thought for this post originated from my recent interview by Paul Watts of Sales Reinvented. Paul asked great questions about how sales reps can improve their negotiations with prospects and customers. This was a very timely topic given the recent changes, in the way sales reps communicate with their prospects and customers. You can […]
Many individuals view negotiations as an adversarial, zero-sum process in which manipulation, gamesmanship and intimidation are effective and worthwhile tactics. Perhaps you have even heard one of your counterparts brag about “drawing blood” or beating the other party. This philosophy is illustrated by the classic movie Glengarry Glen Ross, where the sales manager (played by […]
Several years ago, I wrote an article for Chief Executive magazine titled “Negotiation Lessons: When CEO Meddling Degrades the Deal.” This was one of my more important articles for CEOs and other C-level executives because deals involving C-levels usually have a major impact on business results. And currently, since many companies are conducting negotiations remotely, […]
B2B enterprises depend on collaborating with other businesses for survival and growth. This often requires face-to-face (F2F) meetings with other professionals. What do you do when the ability to travel is constrained and F2F sales or negotiation meetings are canceled? You have only two choices: Stop business, or conduct activities using current communication technologies. Since […]
Negotiations can be exasperating. You believe you are offering the other side a great deal, and they seem offended. You want to create a win-win outcome, and they treat you like the enemy. You thought they were ready after weeks of discussions and now they seem totally cavalier. And now you are frustrated. On some […]
Not long ago, I spoke with an IT service provider (our client), who related an impactful discussion with a telco customer’s procurement director. The company offered a $5,300 discount as an incentive to begin the implementation of a customer relationship management (CRM) system for $53,000. Here is a summary of the dialogue: Vendor: It’s a […]
I frequently encounter situations with clients who are trying to expand their business into new territories and verticals. The case with one of our B2B clients was particularly dire. Their growth with existing customers was flat, and their sales force had a low win rate with new prospects. In fact, they bid on 200+ new […]
We are at the end of one year and soon, the start of another. A great time to reflect on what we have accomplished, and more important, what we can do to make the next year even better, especially when it comes to revenue and profitability. And if any part of your job involves sales […]
I have written quite a bit about how to sharpen you and your team’s professional negotiation skills to close larger deals, faster. However, there are many times professionals lose otherwise quality deals because the seller, the buyer or both, can’t keep their calm when the discussion becomes tense. We have recently seen a client get […]
