The value in procurement and sales collaboration

Not only are an increasing number of sales guys coming up against hard-nosed procurement executives in their dealings with clients (rather than their business unit contact who has been regularly wined and dined and has become a deeply loyal customer); but sales people are not the best negotiators. What was interesting - and completely coincidental - was that shortly after our conversation, Professor Don Klock, formerly of Colgate-Palmolive and now of Rutgers Business School, said exactly the same thing during a presentation on best-in-class collaboration.