17 May

E18. Simon Thomas - The role of cultural considerations in negotiations and marketing

In this episode, host Mike Lander speaks to Group M’s Simon Thomas about cultural considerations in negotiations and marketing, the evolving landscape and challenges in media procurement, and challenges and opportunities in the advertising industry.

Listen

31 mins

10 May

E17. Brent Adamson - What is the relationship between value management and negotiations?

This week, host Mike Lander sits down with researcher, presenter, thinker and author of ‘The Challenger Sale’, Brent Adamson (global head of research, advisory, and communities at Ecosystems). Here they discuss understanding value management in negotiations, achieving alignment among diverse stakeholders, and complexity in business.

Listen

45 mins

3 May

E16. Ben Allen - How to successfully negotiate media deals in today's landscape

Ben Allen is the head of trading and commercial strategy at ITV. Here he talks to host Mike Lander about his experience negotiating media deals, the importance of listening and being open to creative and alternative solutions, and why maintaining healthy business relationships is critical in media negotiations.

Listen

29 mins

26 Apr

E15. Matt Dixon – The buyer landscape in 2023 and how it affects negotiation

This week, host Mike Lander speaks to best-selling author and co-founder of DCM Insights, Matt Dixon – a sales anthropologist who uses data to understand the buyer landscape, and how sales teams are reacting to it. Here they how the buyer behavior maps onto negotiation, sales ‘ghosting’, and what the best salespeople do differently.

Listen

46 mins

19 Apr

E14. Eric Fulwiler – How to balance relationships and substance in business negotiations

How is negotiation like jazz? Can the procurement process be creative? Should businesses pay agencies to pitch? This week, host Mike Lander talks to Eric Fulwiler (co-founder and CEO, Rival) about all this and more. Discover the challenges faced by small agencies working with large clients, the power of collective bargaining to address unfair payment terms, and the importance of prioritizing long-term relationships over short-term gains.

Listen

35 mins

E13. Katy Howell - Why relationship-building with procurement is so important

Katy Howell (CEO, immediate future) has an unusual perspective on working with procurement. Instead of viewing them as the enemy, she sees them as human beings with feelings (say what?). Here, she talks to host Mike Lander about the importance of relationship building with procurement, influencer negotiations, and why it’s crucial to have a strong pipeline of clients in any negotiation.

Listen

31 mins

5 Apr

E12. Magid Souhami – How do you master the art of creative deal making?

Having led multimillion dollar negotiations for some of the biggest global brands and sporting events, Magid Souhami (CCO, Compliant and Founder of The Marketing Procurement Academy) is, above all else, “a deal maker”. Here he talks to host Mike Lander about value creation in marketing procurement, strategic and tactical approaches to negotiation, and the importance of long-term, mutually beneficial relationships between partners and suppliers.

Listen

37 mins

29 Mar

E11. Fred Moore - How to build strong relationships with clients and partners?

This week, host Mike Lander is joined by Fred Moore (COO, Matter Of Form). Here they talk about balancing short-term optimization with the bigger picture, promoting creativity and innovation in decision-making, and how to building strong relationships with clients and partners.

Listen

32 mins

22 Mar

E10. Gareth Turner - What is a BATNA in negotiation?

Baked beans on Weetabix anyone? Whatever your opinion on the recipe suggestion, you’re likely to have heard about it, thanks to Gareth Turner (founder and director, Big Black Door), who led on the ‘Beanz on Bix’ campaign in 2019. Here, Turner speaks to host Mike Lander about the value of having distinct roles in a negotiation, the leveraging power of BATNAs (best alternative to a negotiated agreement), and the importance of understanding which power dynamics are truly at play.

Listen

30 mins

15 Mar

E9. Jaye Cowle – How to negotiate as a small agency

Jaye Cowle (managing director, Launch) is on a mission to create the happiest agency in the world. And this focus on happiness doesn’t end with her staff. For Cowle, business partnerships are doomed if both sides aren’t happy with the outcome. But when you’re a small agency, how can you negotiate a satisfactory outcome for both sides? Here, Cowle talks to host Mike Lander about why small agencies are the perfect partners for unsexy challenger brands, the importance of measurement in today’s world, and why the term ‘overservicing’ has been banned at her agency.

Listen

31 mins

8 Mar

E8. John Godfrey - How can niche providers demonstrate expertise in a negotiation?

John Godfrey (commercial executive director, Red Badger) may never have used his Education degree to teach, but the dotcom veteran can certainly school most on the art of niche-provider negotiation. Here he talks to host Mike Lander about the complexity of value-based pricing, how niche providers can avoid being commodified, and how they can effectively negotiate termination for convenience and IP rights.

Listen

36 mins

1 Mar

E7. Rob Halloway - How do you negotiate with multiple stakeholders?

Rob Halloway (Marketing Director at Mercedes-Benz Cars and Director at Mercedes-Benz World) began forging his negotiation skills in the 90s selling used trucks. Fast forward twenty-five years, and the marketing director is a master of multi-stakeholder negotiations across different European factions. Here he talks to host Mike Lander about finding the highest common denominator for all, the importance of unified, fair pricing, and why listening can be just as valuable a skill as negotiating itself.

Listen

38 mins

22 Feb

E6. How do you break a stalemate in negotiation?

It’s no surprise that Craig Letton (CEO, MRM Global) has a competitive nature. At the ripe age of 26, he took over his family printing business, transforming it into a marketing technology company on the world stage. But how do you break a negotiation stale-mate when you come up against an equally competitive buyer? Here, Craig talks to host Mike Lander about his easiest and toughest negotiations to date – from why selling Wrigley’s chewing gum was the easiest deal of his career, to the mistakes that led to a negotiation being stretched out for three years.

Listen

34 mins

15 Feb

E5. Emily Chang - What's the difference between client side and agency side negotiations?

When it comes to negotiations, CEO Emily Chang (McCann Worldgroup) has a rare perspective. Amassing 22 years of experience on the client side before migrating to the agency side, she’s seen the best and worst from both ends of the table. Here she talks to host Mike Lander about dealing with disproportionate relationships, whether pitching should be free, and how clients and agencies can align on what success looks like.

Listen

30 mins

8 Feb

E4. Tamara Littleton – How agencies can effectively negotiate with brands

Working with the likes of Oreo, Dr Pepper and Nissan, agency leader Tamara Littleton (Social Element) has negotiated with some of the biggest brands on the planet. Drawing on her 20 years of experience, Tamara talks to host Mike Lander about what collaborative negotiations mean in practice, why client feedback is crucial to building a successful relationship, and how to get rid of negotiation-anxiety.

Listen

32 mins

25 Jan

E2. Dan Cullen-Shute – Why positive negotiations lead to positive outcomes

Is the mark of a good negotiation really that both parties walk away from the table slightly dissatisfied? White Crow’s and Creature of London's CEO & founder, Dan Cullen-Shute doesn’t think so. In this episode, Dan talks to host Mike Lander about the need to make negotiations a positive experience, the importance of setting ground-rules (and sticking to them), and why the marketing industry’s attitude towards procurement is self-defeating.

Listen

40 mins

18 Jan

E1. Penry Price – How can negotiators secure a win-win outcome?

What is a negotiation? Is it a game of tactics, where two parties compete to come out on top? Not according to LinkedIn’s vice president of marketing, Penry Price. In this first episode, Penry talks to Mike about how to navigate a win-win negotiation with a collaborative mind-set, helping both buyers and sellers increase the value-exchange and strengthen their relationship.

Listen

32 mins