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Strategic Sourcing and Procurement Blogs

Published May 10, 2017 · Updated January 5, 2020

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Strategic Sourcing and Procurement Blogs

Aggregated list of blogs on strategic sourcing, procurement, negotiations, supplier management and supply chain. A strong supply base is needed for a well run supply chain.

Negotiation Quotes

“You don’t want to negotiate the price of simple things you buy every day.” ~ Jeff Bezos – CEO Amazon.
“The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people half way.” ~ Henry Boyle
“You have to persuade yourself that you absolutely don’t care what happens. If you don’t care, you’ve won. I absolutely promise you, in every serious negotiation, the man or woman who doesn’t care is going to win.” ~ Felix Dennis
“’What is your desired salary?’ The unwritten rule when it comes to salary is this: whoever proposes a number first loses. When you interview, you should never feel pressured to answer this question. Simply let your interviewer know that the most important thing to you is how well you fit the position.” ~ Travis Bradberry
“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” ~John F. Kennedy
“Focus on the lowest total cost of ownership, not the lowest price.” ~EverythingSupplyChain.com
“You must never try to make all the money that’s in a deal. Let the other fellow make some money too, because if you have a reputation for always making all the money, you won’t have many deals.” ~ J. Paul Getty
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” ~ Sun Tzu
“We tend to think that, in a traditional organisation, people are producing results because management wants results, but the essence of a high-quality organisation is people producing results because they want the results. It’s puzzling we find that hard to understand, that if people are really enjoying, they’ll innovate, they’ll take risks, they’ll have trust with one another because they are really committed to what they’re doing and it’s fun” ~ Peter Senge
“One cannot negotiate under fire.” ~ Ariel Sharon
“One of the best ways to persuade others is by listening to them.” ~ Dean Rusk
“During a negotiation, it would be wise not to take anything personally. If you leave personalities out of it, you will be able to see opportunities more objectively.” ~ Brian Koslow
“Negotiations are worthless if neither party is willing to budge.” ~ Dave Waters
“A negotiator should observe everything. You must be part Sherlock Holmes, part Sigmund Freud.” ~ Victor Kiam
“If you are good enough to compete for a top-level corporate job, you should be smart enough to know what the job pays the other gender and negotiate accordingly. If you are an employer, and you don’t pay an employee market wages, regardless of gender or orientation, you will end up with what you deserve.” ~Mark Cuban
“You have to persuade yourself that you absolutely don’t care what happens. If you don’t care, you’ve won. I absolutely promise you, in every serious negotiation, the man or woman who doesn’t care is going to win.” ~ Felix Dennis
“Never cut what you can untie.” ~ Joseph Joubert
“The most difficult thing in any negotiation, almost, is making sure that you strip it of the emotion and deal with the facts.” ~ Howard Baker
“What business strategy is all about-what distinguishes it from all other kinds of business planning-is, in a word, competitive advantage. Without competitors there would be no need for strategy, for the sole purpose of strategic planning is to enable the company to gain, as efficiently as possible, a sustainable edge over its competitors.” ~ Kenichi Ohmae
“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them” ~ Denis Watley
“You do not get what you want. You get what you negotiate.” ~Harvey Mackay
“Treating suppliers like partners is critical to a company’s start-up’s success. As much as possible, figure out how you can work with your suppliers to make their lives better, whether saving them money from their vendors or saving them time with your order. By understanding their business model, you can make orders in an efficient manner, which should lower costs for everyone.” ~ Aaron Schwartz
“Appraisals are where you get together with your team leader and agree what an outstanding member of the team you are, how much your contribution has been valued, what massive potential you have and, in recognition of all this, would you mind having your salary halved.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
“Negotiation is not a policy. It’s a technique. It’s something you use when it’s to your advantage, and something that you don’t use when it’s not to your advantage.” ~ John Bolton
“Know what you want to achieve prior to starting to negotiate. It’s the golden rule but the one most people fail to heed. Without a plan, you allow the opposing party to define your goals instead of the other way around.” ~ Ivanka Trump
“If you are planning on doing business with someone again, don’t be too tough in the negotiations. If you’re going to skin a cat, don’t keep it as a house cat.” ~ Marvin Levin
“I want women to get paid more. I want to teach them to negotiate so they get paid more.” ~ Sheryl Sandberg
“Anger can be an effective negotiating tool, but only as a calculated act, never as a reaction.” ~ Mark McCormack
“The most critical thing in a negotiation is to get inside your opponent’s head and figure out what he really wants.” ~Jacob Lew
“There are people who are in debt that make $500,000 a year. There are people who have all their bills paid with no debt who make $50,000 a year. It’s easy to negotiate an “increase in your salary” just change your spending habits.” ~ Dave Waters
“Never forget the power of silence, that massively disconcerting pause which goes on and on and may last induce an opponent to babble and backtrack nervously.” ~ Lance Morrow
“A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.” ~ Douglas MacArthur
“The best move you can make in negotiation is to think of an incentive the other person hasn’t even thought of – and then meet it.” ~ Eli Broad
“Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing.” ~ Albert Einstein