In the complex world of business-to-business transactions, negotiation skills can make the difference between a mediocre deal and a transformative partnership. Milena Reyes, a procurement manager with nearly eight years of experience across pharmaceutical giants, consulting firms, and tech companies like Leboncoin, shares her hard-earned insights on the art and science of B2B negotiations in this revealing conversation with sales expert Maxime on the "Aux Commandes" podcast.

The Reality of Learning Negotiation Skills

Beyond Business School Theory

While many professionals enter the procurement field with business school credentials, Reyes emphasizes that real negotiation expertise comes from practice, not textbooks. "I don't think I learned negotiation at school," she explains. "I learned theories, vocabulary, and concepts, but that doesn't make you a good negotiator."

The challenge with theoretical approaches is that every negotiation is unique, influenced by countless variables:

• The personality and style of your counterpart

• The timing and context of the deal

• The specific products or services being negotiated

• The relative power dynamics between organizations

The Apprenticeship Model

Reyes credits much of her negotiation development to working alongside experienced mentors, particularly Eric Bourgeois at Leboncoin. This hands-on learning approach involved:

• Extensive practice with real stakes and consequences

• Immediate feedback on negotiation performance

• Role-playing exercises to prepare for different scenarios

• Post-negotiation analysis to identify areas for improvement

Essential Negotiation Fundamentals

1. Preparation is Non-Negotiable

The foundation of successful negotiations lies in thorough preparation. Reyes outlines several critical preparation elements:

Define Your Objectives Clearly:

• Know exactly what you want to achieve

• Establish your ideal outcome, acceptable alternatives, and walk-away points

• Prepare for multiple scenarios based on different counterpart responses

Research Your Counterpart:

• Understand their business pressures and motivations

• Anticipate their likely negotiation points

• Identify potential areas of mutual benefit

Prepare Your Team:
When involving internal stakeholders in negotiations, clear role definition is crucial. "Information is gold, so you need to share it sparingly," Reyes notes. Uncoordinated team members can inadvertently reveal sensitive information or undermine negotiation positions.

2. Communication Channel Strategy

One of Reyes' key tactical recommendations is simple but powerful: pick up the phone. "Email negotiations don't work because it's very easy for the other party to say no via email. By phone, it's more complicated."

This preference for voice communication stems from several advantages:

• Immediate response and clarification

• Emotional nuance and tone detection

• Harder for counterparts to dismiss requests outright

• Real-time problem-solving opportunities

3. Active Listening as a Competitive Advantage

Many negotiators focus intensely on what they want to say while neglecting what they can learn. Reyes emphasizes the strategic value of listening:

• Gather intelligence about the counterpart's priorities and constraints

• Identify unexpected opportunities for mutual value creation

• Demonstrate respect that can improve relationship dynamics

• Never interrupt – it's both impolite and strategically counterproductive

4. Emotional Regulation and Professional Detachment

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of negotiation is managing emotions and maintaining objectivity. Reyes draws inspiration from the Toltec principle of "don't take anything personally."

Why Emotional Control Matters:

• Counterparts may deliberately try to destabilize you

• Personal reactions can cloud judgment about deal value

• Emotional responses can reveal weaknesses in your position

• Professional detachment enables clearer strategic thinking

Creating Professional Personas:
Reyes describes adopting different "characters" for different negotiation contexts – not deception, but strategic adaptation of communication style and approach based on the situation and counterpart.

The Price-First Reality

Despite the complexity of B2B negotiations, Reyes is refreshingly honest about initial evaluation criteria: "I won't lie – the first thing I look at is price. I'm not saying I'll focus only on price, but if you ask me the first thing I check when opening a supplier proposal, it's the price."

This price-first approach serves as an initial positioning tool, but sophisticated procurement professionals quickly move beyond simple cost comparisons to evaluate:

• Service quality and reliability

• Delivery timelines and flexibility

• Contract terms and payment conditions

• Long-term partnership potential

• Additional value-added services

Building Internal Stakeholder Relationships

The Education Challenge

One of the most overlooked aspects of procurement success is internal relationship management. When Reyes joined Leboncoin, the procurement function was newly created, requiring extensive internal education about the value of professional purchasing.

Proving Value Through Results:

• Demonstrate concrete savings and improvements

• Show how procurement expertise enables better business outcomes

• Provide additional services or capabilities for the same budget

• Remove administrative burden from internal teams

Integration Strategy:
Rather than appearing as a last-minute cost-cutting function, Reyes advocates for early integration into business processes. She requests inclusion in initial supplier discussions, even when her immediate input isn't required, to build relationships and understanding before formal negotiations begin.

Training Internal Teams

Recognizing that not all company spending flows through procurement, Leboncoin implemented internal negotiation training programs. These sessions focused on:

• Practical scenarios rather than theoretical concepts

• Role-playing exercises with realistic business situations

• Quick, engaging formats that respected busy schedules

• Cross-functional learning that benefited various departments

Advanced Negotiation Strategies

Partnership vs. Transactional Approaches

For strategic suppliers with significant business impact, Reyes advocates shifting from traditional buyer-seller dynamics to partnership models. This approach involves:

Deeper Relationship Investment:

• Regular business reviews and performance discussions

• Daily communication on operational issues

• Collaborative problem-solving for mutual challenges

• Long-term strategic planning alignment

Expanded Negotiation Variables:
When price negotiations reach their limits, creative procurement professionals explore alternative value creation:

• Payment terms optimization for cash flow benefits

• Contract duration adjustments for security and planning

• Cross-selling opportunities leveraging company assets

• Marketing partnerships and promotional collaborations

Managing High-Stakes Negotiations

For critical suppliers where alternatives are limited, negotiation approaches must adapt:

• Increased preparation time and resources

• Senior stakeholder involvement for relationship building

• Multiple negotiation rounds with strategic patience

• Focus on mutual value creation rather than zero-sum outcomes

Key Takeaways for B2B Success

Milena Reyes' experience across diverse industries and company sizes offers several universal principles for B2B negotiation success:

1. Preparation trumps natural talent – invest time in understanding your position, objectives, and counterpart

2. Relationships matter more than transactions – build genuine partnerships for sustainable business success

3. Communication channels influence outcomes – choose phone calls over emails for important negotiations

4. Emotional intelligence is a competitive advantage – manage your reactions and read others effectively

5. Value creation beats price battles – explore creative solutions that benefit both parties

The evolution from theoretical knowledge to practical expertise requires patience, practice, and continuous learning. As Reyes notes, "The Milena of five years ago negotiated very differently from the Milena of today." This growth mindset, combined with systematic skill development, creates the foundation for long-term success in the complex world of B2B negotiations.