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“We know they are trying to drive prices down,” said the account leader. “They’ll tell us about the time that project was nightmare. The lead consultant’s mum got ill and he had to go and care for her. I’m not willing to be drawn into another debate about that – we’d always let family come first here."
Me: “What did they tell you last time you asked them?”
Them: “…”
Me: “Has anything changed about their buying patterns since then? Are the same people who were on that project in decision-making roles? What kind of things are on their mind at the moment?”
<long pause>
Them: “It will all be about our fees. We’re already screwed down as far as we can on this and I’m not willing to trim the margins further as we won’t be able to deliver quality. It won’t be fair on the team.”
Me: “So what does value mean to them? What do you do beyond delivering the programme itself? What are they getting from your competitors that you could emulate – or supersede? Value isn’t always about the cost.”
Them: “…”