11. The Realities of the Game

The earlier chapters help you prepare and implement Backbone with instructive stories to bring it to life. I know that advice works because I’ve been using it and giving it for 20 years. I’ve studied the field of procurement, talked to procurement people, and taken some of the same classes procurement professionals take to learn the tricks we’ve talked about. In the game of procurement, we’ve all got to deal with certain realities, and I want to leave you with a few bottom-line truths.

Sometimes You Have to Discount

Yes, unfortunately, sometimes you just have to discount. It happens to the best sales professionals. I did it when I was a salesperson, and occasionally I still have no choice but to discount. In my ...

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