{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Anatomy of a sales conversation - Procurement Special","description":"This live recording of Sales Today: Procurement Special goes back to fundamentals as Fred Copestake breaks down the anatomy of a great sales conversation so procurement professionals can spot the good ones, steer the wobbly ones, and borrow the best bits for their own internal selling.   With 25+ years in the field, three books (including Ethical Selling), and over 10,000 salespeople trained across 38 countries, Fred shares a practical, step-by-step structure you can use immediately - whether you\u2019re evaluating a supplier\u2019s approach or building support for your own initiatives. In this episode, you\u2019ll discover:  \u2022 Why objectives matter: set a primary and secondary outcome before the meeting, then signal preparedness with a short agenda. \u2022 \u201cAsk before tell\u201d: why prescription without diagnosis is malpractice and how great sellers make it about you before talking about themselves. \u2022 Reading the room: tailoring style to personalities (analytical, amiable, driver, expressive) and how tools like DISC profiling can help you prepare. \u2022 AIDA done right: Attention \u2192 Interest \u2192 Desire \u2192 Action as a clean flow that mirrors how people think. \u2022 Strong openings: craft an attention-grabber (value proposition) that hooks into your world\u2014industry issues, goals, and likely friction points. \u2022 High-gain questioning: use open, probing, and TED prompts (\u201cTell me\u2026 Explain\u2026 Describe\u2026\u201d), thoughtful hypotheticals, strategic summaries, and silence.  \u2022 Consultative depth: map current state vs desired state, then explore impact and consequences to build a compelling case for change. \u2022 From ask to tell: when to pivot from questions to a tailored response - not a boilerplate pitch - linked to the problems uncovered. \u2022 Progress checks: small \u201ctrial closes\u201d to confirm fit and keep momentum without pressure.  \u2022 The Perfect Close (James Muir): \u201cDoes it make sense for us to\u2026 [next step]?\u201d- an elegant, ethical way to agree the action or surface the right alternative.  \u2022 Internal use: how procurement can repurpose the same structure to win support for projects and decisions inside the business.   Expect straight-talking guidance, usable language patterns, and a simple framework you can run tomorrow- whether you\u2019re buying, selling, or building alignment across stakeholders.   Join the Alchemie Network for FREE to connect with other forward-thinking professionals and get access to more events like this.   Connect with Fred on Linkedin https:\/\/linktr.ee\/fredcopestake ","author_name":"Sales Today","author_url":"http:\/\/throughpartnering.libsyn.com\/website","html":"