Buyer pushback reads as lost goodwill, so teams buy it back with promotional funding that becomes the new baseline. Hostility in the room is a tactic, not a verdict on the relationship.
Why CPG commercial teams frequently confuse a capability gap with a relationship problem:
When a buyer aggressively pushes for more promotional funding or rejects a price increase, sales leaders assume they have lost goodwill. They assume the buyer has a personal vendetta against them.
So they try to fix it the only way they know how.
They take the buyer to an expensive dinner. They offer another promotional expense that quickly becomes the new expected baseline. They give away margin just to make the hostility disappear in the room.
The buyer does not hate you.
They are simply highly trained to negotiate.
They are testing your boundaries to see what you will concede when pressed. Every time you attempt to repair trust by yielding on terms, you reward aggressive tactics. You prove to the procurement team that making you uncomfortable is a highly profitable strategy.
Negotiation is a trainable capability. Once you stop treating every pushback as a personal slight, you can start trading on value instead of fear.
Buying goodwill with your promotional calendar isn’t going to work.
Preparing for a conversation like this one?
The Maker Group gets commercial teams into the room with one position, one set of numbers, and a walk-away everyone can name.
Book a consultationFirst published by Matt Geddie on LinkedIn.