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Description

Facing Professional Buyers: Decoding Their Methods, Making Your Case and Closing

Two days to understand the buyer's role and negotiate on familiar ground

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Professional buyers are trained to secure conditions. They work with supplier scorecards, comparison grids and quantified targets that the salesperson never sees. The salesperson often discovers the selection criteria only once the decision has been made.

These 14 hours of training approach negotiation through the buyer's role rather than through sales technique alone. Participants explore procurement working methods, indicators and internal constraints. They learn to build a case that answers procurement evaluation criteria and to defend their commercial terms during the meeting.

Learning objectives

  • Describe the remit and key indicators of a procurement department
  • Identify the evaluation criteria applied to suppliers
  • Build a business case based on total cost of ownership for the client
  • Respond to requests for cost justification and transparency
  • Defend your commercial terms when asked to match a competitor's offer

What makes this programme different

A detailed walk-through of the tools and indicators used on the procurement side
A supplier scorecard analysed and then applied to meeting preparation
Role-played meetings with buyers of differing profiles and constraints

Programme

1The Buyer's Role

Objectives, tools and constraints

  • Remit and performance indicators of the procurement function
  • Supplier panels and consultation policy
  • Supplier evaluation criteria and scoring
  • The real room for manoeuvre available to a buyer

2Preparing the Procurement Meeting

Walking in with the right information

  • Researching the client organisation and its market
  • Anticipating the comparison criteria that will be applied
  • Building the value file for the client
  • Defining the terms to be defended

3Arguing in Procurement Language

Speaking total cost and risk control

  • Building the case on total cost of ownership
  • Evidence of reliability and service continuity
  • Responding to cost breakdown requests
  • Valuing the services attached to the offer

4Holding Your Terms

Responding without conceding automatically

  • Responding to a request to match a competitor
  • Handling repeated requests for commercial gestures
  • Negotiating payment and service conditions
  • Closing and formalising commitments

Who is it for

Sales representatives, technical sales specialists, business engineers and account managers selling to structured procurement departments.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.