Selling to procurement training is a program for B2B sales teams and key account managers who face professional buyers. It covers how procurement teams are measured, vendor onboarding, RFQs and reverse auctions, should-cost and cost-of-ownership arguments, holding price under pressure, give-get trades, keeping access to business users and preparing for annual price negotiations.
- Recommended: 1.5 days in person, or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, plus negotiation preparation clinics
- Level: Intermediate · In person · Live virtual · Blended
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: negotiating with procurement training, selling to professional buyers, dealing with purchase departments workshop, procurement negotiation skills for salespeople
Where and how: selling to procurement training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed by Siddharthan VGJ, Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Why salespeople now need to understand procurement
Buying decisions that once sat with a plant head or IT manager now pass through trained category managers, e-sourcing tools and formal supplier scorecards. Many sales teams meet procurement only at the end, when the conversation has already narrowed to price.
Selling to procurement training changes that. Salespeople learn what buyers are measured on, how they prepare and how to bring value, trade and relationships back into the conversation before the auction or the annual price review begins.
LinkedIn's Skills on the Rise 2026 includes business development and go-to-market strategy.
What participants will be able to do
Think like a buyer
Explain how category managers are measured on savings, supplier risk and continuity, and use that to shape the conversation.
Win onboarding and RFQs
Prepare vendor onboarding packs and RFQ responses that make it easy for buyers to say yes and hard to reduce you to a line item.
Handle reverse auctions calmly
Set a floor price, a bidding plan and a decision rule before the auction starts, and stick to them.
Argue on cost, not only price
Use should-cost and cost-of-ownership reasoning to show where your offer saves the customer money over time.
Trade, do not concede
Plan give-get trades so every price move earns volume, term, payment, scope or reference value in return.
Keep the users close
Stay connected with business users and sponsors while respecting the buyer's process.
Who should attend
- Key account managers in manufacturing, IT services, logistics and business services
- B2B sales managers responsible for annual price negotiations
- Bid and tender teams preparing RFQ and RFP responses
- Sales engineers who meet procurement during technical evaluations
- Founders and sales heads of mid-sized suppliers selling to large corporates
- Sales teams in the Gulf selling to group procurement functions
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01Inside the procurement functionModule 1 · 90 min+
- How category managers plan, source and report savings
- Supplier scorecards: price, quality, delivery, risk and responsiveness
- Why procurement involvement is a stage, not an enemy
- Mapping procurement's goals for one of your accounts
02Vendor onboarding and RFQ responsesModule 2 · 2 hours+
- Onboarding packs that reduce the buyer's effort and doubt
- Reading an RFQ for what it does and does not ask
- Clarification questions that reopen the value conversation
- Build sprint: a one-page executive summary for a live RFQ
03Reverse auctions and e-sourcingModule 3 · 90 min+
- Deciding whether and how to take part
- Setting floor price, opening bid and bidding steps in advance
- Staying calm when the clock is ticking
- Simulation: a 20-minute live auction with three rival bidders
04Should-cost and cost-of-ownership argumentsModule 4 · 2 hours+
- How buyers build a should-cost model of your offer
- Explaining your cost drivers without giving away margin
- Showing lifetime cost: quality, downtime, service and switching effort
- Practice: answering 'your rival is 12% lower'
05Holding price and trading wellModule 5 · 2 hours+
- Preparing a give-get list before every negotiation
- Common buyer tactics and calm responses
- Knowing your walk-away point and your alternatives
- Role-play: the annual price review with a tough category manager
06Keeping users close and staying preferredModule 6 · 90 min+
- Respecting the process while keeping sponsor relationships
- Quarterly reviews that show the value you delivered
- Turning scorecard feedback into an improvement plan
- A 90-day plan for the next negotiation
Sample training plan: 1.5-day hands-on design
This one-and-a-half-day design prepares B2B sellers to meet professional buyers on equal terms. Participants map what a category manager is measured on, sharpen an RFQ response and live through a 20-minute reverse auction against rival bidders. They answer should-cost challenges and build a give-get list before an annual price review with a tough buyer. The half day closes with keeping users close and a plan for the next real negotiation, followed by preparation clinics.
Participants can think like a buyer, respond to an RFQ and hold their plan in an auction.
- 09:30–10:15A day in the category manager's chairEnergiser
- 10:15–11:15The scorecard behind the smileDiagnostic
- 11:30–13:00RFQ that reopens valueBuild sprint
- 13:45–15:15Twenty minutes on the clockSimulation
- 15:30–16:45Your rival is 12% lowerSkill drill
- 16:45–17:30Give and getAction planning
Participants can hold price in an annual review and keep user relationships strong.
- 09:30–10:15The annual price reviewRole-play
- 10:15–11:15Tactics and calm answersFishbowl
- 11:30–12:30Keeping the users closeCase clinic
- 12:30–13:00Plan for the real oneAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 1.5 days in person (day 1 09:30–17:30, day 2 09:30–13:00), or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, plus preparation clinics for live negotiations. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is selling to procurement training?
The recommended design is one and a half days in person, a full day and a morning, followed by preparation clinics before real negotiations. It also runs as four live virtual sessions of three hours each.
What activities are included in selling to procurement training?
Participants play a category manager, map procurement goals for their account, sharpen an RFQ response, bid in a live reverse auction, answer should-cost challenges, build a give-get list and run an annual price review with a tough buyer.
How we deliver it
Real accounts, real numbers
Participants prepare for an actual upcoming negotiation or RFQ, so the program ends with a usable plan.
Buyer-side role players
Facilitators play experienced category managers using realistic tactics, scorecards and deadlines.
Auction simulation
A live reverse-auction exercise lets teams feel the pressure and test their bidding rules safely.
Preparation clinics
After the workshop, short clinics help account teams prepare for specific annual reviews and tenders.
Tailored versions
For industrial and manufacturing suppliers
Cases cover annual price reviews linked to raw-material changes, cost breakdown requests and plant-level user relationships.
For IT and business services firms
Focuses on rate cards, renewals, vendor consolidation drives and staying close to business sponsors.
For key account teams
A preparation-led format where each team builds its plan for one major account's annual negotiation.
How we measure impact
Selling to procurement training follows the Evaluate stage of the ADDIE model. Participants take an AssessAll pre-assessment and post-assessment on Negotiation & Value Creation and Commercial Numeracy for Salespeople. Sales managers hold structured check-ins, and a 30-60-90 day follow-up reviews agreed signals such as price held in annual reviews, trades secured for each concession and preferred-supplier status retained at each key account.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What is selling to procurement training?
Selling to procurement training is a program that helps B2B salespeople and account managers work effectively with professional buyers. It covers how procurement teams work and are measured, vendor onboarding, RFQs, reverse auctions, should-cost and cost-of-ownership arguments, holding price, give-get trading and keeping relationships with business users.
How do you negotiate with a procurement team?
Prepare thoroughly: know the buyer's goals, your walk-away point, your give-get list and the value you deliver over time. Ask questions before answering price demands. Trade every concession for something in return, such as volume or term. Stay calm under common tactics like deadlines and rival quotes.
How are procurement professionals measured?
Category managers are usually measured on savings against budget or last price, supplier quality and delivery, supply risk, process adherence and stakeholder satisfaction. Understanding these targets helps salespeople frame offers that help the buyer succeed. Our selling to procurement training includes a module mapping procurement goals for a real account.
How do you respond to a reverse auction?
Decide beforehand whether to take part and set your floor price, opening bid and bidding steps with your manager. During the auction, follow the plan instead of reacting to each rival bid. Afterwards, review the result with the buyer and keep building value with users for the next cycle.
How do you hold price when a buyer asks for a discount?
Ask what is driving the request and restate the value delivered. If you move, trade: offer a smaller price change in return for volume, a longer term, faster payment or reduced scope. Never concede without getting something back. Participants rehearse this in role-plays with tough buyer personas.
How do you keep access to users when procurement takes over?
Respect the buyer's process openly, and agree with procurement how and when you may speak to technical and business users. Keep delivering value through reviews and support so sponsors stay engaged. Share useful information with both groups. The program covers how to stay close without going around the buyer.
How long is the selling to procurement training program?
Our recommended design is one and a half days in person or four three-hour live virtual sessions, followed by preparation clinics for live negotiations. A one-day version suits bid teams. The design is customised after a needs analysis with your sales leadership and key account teams.
Can this training run for teams in Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Dubai?
Yes. Bodhih's master trainers travel from Bengaluru to Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Pune, Chennai and across India, and to Dubai and the wider Gulf. Live virtual cohorts suit account teams spread across regions and time zones, and preparation clinics can be scheduled just before each team's annual price review.