Vendor management
Two owners who don't agree with each other
One wants to sell now at market, the other wants to hold for a number. Every meeting stalls.
Do this now — in this order
- 1Never take a side. Represent the sale, not one owner.
- 2Get each person's real driver separately, then reflect both back in the joint meeting.
- 3Put the disagreement on the table openly — unspoken conflict kills campaigns quietly.
- 4Use a decision framework: what happens if we sell at X, and what happens if we don't sell at all.
- 5Ask both to agree on the process, even where they disagree on the number.
- 6Get all decisions in writing to both parties simultaneously.
What to say
Naming it
"You two want different things, and that's fine — but I can't negotiate for you until we agree on what a yes looks like. Can we settle that today?"
Why it works
Divided vendors reject good offers for reasons that have nothing to do with the offer. Aligning the decision rule beforehand is the whole job.