You’ll sometimes hear the three-bid requirement from the client (not procurement) earlier in the sale. Even then it’s a good time to be clear that you won’t be a pawn in that game. “We’re not really in the business of getting into bidding wars. I’ve already kind of explained what we do and the price range of our solutions. Why don’t you go get your

had an ad agency principal client once leave a voicemail message for a prospect who had negotiated in good faith then let the last two messages go unanswered. My client’s message to him was, “I’ve left you a few messages now and not heard back from you. If this is how we’re communicating now, I’m wondering what’s it going to be like if we actually

People will ultimately choose what is best for them, as they see it. It’s naive to think that, as the one putting at least one of the choices forward, you can let the choice stand on its own merit without you influencing the decision. That’s just not possible, so why not lean into it and learn to do it well?