A Day in the Life of One of Our Awesome Cloud Negotiators.
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer Kirk P.
It's 6:30 a.m. on Monday, February 22, 2020, and our Cloud Negotiator turns off his alarm, rolls over in bed, and switches on CNBC.
"Breaking this morning: Salesforce's stock has soared— up 27% over the last 12 months."
Salesforce's share price was up the week before and the week before that and the week before that. And it's always the same reason. The company has generated new customers, favorable exchange rates, and higher license revenue%20in%20the%20previous%20quarter.) from customers.
And so Salesforce almost always has the upper hand in cloud negotiations. It's in an _incredible _position.
But Salesforce's success doesn't faze our Cloud Negotiator. Not in the slightest. He turns off the TV, gets out of bed, and psychs himself for the day ahead.
Today is important. Today, he's going to meet a Salesforce rep and thrash out a new contract for one of his clients. The stakes are high, but this is a challenge he's determined to win. He always does.
He's a Salesforce superhero.
But first, 20 minutes on the cross-trainer, and another 10 on the treadmill. Then a power breakfast. (Brain fuel.) And then a shower.
By 7 a.m., he has a clear head and a clear-cut mission:
_To save his client thousands of dollars in cloud license fees. _
It's what he gets out of bed for.
Checking in with the Team
It's a little after 7 a.m., and our Cloud Negotiator downloads the daily negotiation mission from Cloud Negotiator HQ in Hamilton, ON, Canada—the list of clients from around the world that Cloud Neogiator.com will help today.
It's a broad list.
One Cloud Negotiator will assist a New York City-based Fortune 500 consulting firm that wants to renegotiate an old Oracle contract. Another Cloud Negotiator will support a medium-sized retailer in Toronto that needs to barter a brand spanking new Workday deal. Another Cloud Negotiator will aid a mom-and-pop store in Dallas, Texas, that requires a Sage Intacct subscription (but does not know where to start.)
All these Cloud Negotiators have the same mission:
_To save clients thousands of dollars in cloud license fees. _
Think of them as the ATeam of cloud procurement. Or the Avengers. Only they don't wear bodysuits. Or heavy gold neck chains.
Researching Salesforce
8 a.m. Laptop switched on. Browser loaded up. Our Cloud Negotiator sizes up his competition. It's reconnaissance time.
Our Cloud Negotiator knows the name of the Salesforce rep he's meeting later, and some Internet research brings up some fascinating insights. The rep has a Facebook account. And YouTube. And Twitter. Our Cloud Negotiator dives deep into all three of the rep's profiles and asks himself the following questions:
- _What kind of person is the Salesforce rep? _
- _What makes him tick? _
- What will his selling strategies be?
- How can I outsmart him?
Our Cloud Negotiator discovers the rep's LinkedIn. It reads:
_Sales Development Representative at Salesforce, the #1 Global CRM Company. _
LinkedIn lists the rep's skills, achievements, education, and experience.
Soon our Cloud Negotiator has a good sense of the rep's personality, temperament, and all the tricks he might use in the boardroom.
Most companies negotiating cloud services with Salesforce wouldn't have time to do this. Or even think about doing this.
A couple of hours later, and our Cloud Negotiator turns his attention to his client—the New York City-based Fortune 500 company that desperately needs his help. He goes over the client's brief (again), scrutinizing every single detail like a hawk. He studies the client's emails. He reads the client's behavioral assessment report from TTI Success Insights, a valuable resource that reveals insights into all the companies he works with. He checks in with CloudNegotiator.com's extensive partner network for some further insights into how to win today's negotiation.
Our Cloud Negotiator makes sure he understands the client's needs inside out—what makes the client tick, what drives the client, what makes the client get out of bed in the morning. He's determined to negotiate the best cloud service contract ever. Just like he does time and time and time again.
It's what he gets out of bed for.
Soon, it's lunchtime. Our Cloud Negotiator gulps down a healthy meal full of brain-boosting nutrients. Research shows that eating before a meeting improves the outcome of a negotiation.
The Negotiation
On his way to the negotiation, held at a conference room in a fancy hotel downtown, our Cloud Negotiator checks the business news websites once last time. CBC. CNBC. Fox Business. There's always something going on at Salesforce Inc., and our Cloud Negotiator wants to know every detail.
And then the clock strikes 1:30 p.m. It's time.
By now, our Cloud Negotiator has already sized up the competition, meticulously researched his client, and knows how to negotiate an incredible cloud service contract.
Our Cloud Negotiator communicates with the Salesforce rep for an hour, then another hour, and then another hour. They discuss terms, conditions, clauses, prices, termination fees, audits, security, features, integration, and more. They agree and disagree and agree again. Our Cloud Negotiator provides regular feedback to his client in New York City throughout the meeting.
Then, just as things look promising, the Salesforce rep changes his mind. He wants the Cloud Negotiator's client to pay more money.
But that's OK. Our cloud negotiator has other bargaining tools. (Research shows that individuals who prepare alternative options before negotiations are more likely to win the deal.)
Another hour passes. And then, the Salesforce rep backs down. He agrees to our Cloud Negotiator's terms. The client is happy. The negotiations are over.
The client couldn't have negotiated a contract like this on its own. The Cloud Negotiator used a broad range of skills to secure the best possible Salesforce rates.
Best deal ever? Perhaps. But tomorrow, our Cloud Negotiator will do it all again.
That's what he gets out of bed for.
Written by:
