Navigating Procurement Paralysis: Ashleighearly’s Strategies for Sales Teams

In a recent LinkedIn post, Ashleighearly discusses a growing challenge for sales professionals: the abrupt departure of key procurement contacts, leaving deals in limbo. Ashleighearly highlights how this “stranded” deal scenario, often caused by unexpected layoffs, is becoming increasingly common and disruptive.

The post opens with a relatable anecdote:

“You’re 3 months into a deal. Procurement was slow but moving. Then one day, silence. You follow up. Turns out your contact was laid off two weeks ago and no one thought to tell you. The deal isn’t dead, but it’s not alive either. It’s just… stranded.”

Ashleighearly expresses a keen interest in understanding the scope of this issue, asking followers:

“I’m genuinely curious, are you seeing this more in specific industries? Certain regions? Or is it everywhere right now?”

The Rising Tide of Procurement Turnover

Ashleighearly posits that while procurement turnover has always been a factor in sales, its current acceleration and lack of warning are unprecedented. This instability poses a significant risk to deal velocity and revenue forecasting.

Strategies for Prevention and Response

To combat this pervasive problem, Ashleighearly outlines two key strategies for sellers:

1. Proactive Prevention

The first and most crucial step, according to Ashleighearly, is to be proactive in mapping out the necessary contacts within procurement and finance departments before a crisis hits. This involves asking direct questions early in the sales cycle.

“Map procurement and finance contacts before you need them,” Ashleighearly advises. “Ask early: ‘Who owns vendor approvals, and who covers that if they’re out?’ It’s not weird, it’s professional.” This forward-thinking approach aims to build redundancy and ensure continuity.

2. Effective Response

When a deal does go dark due to contact changes, Ashleighearly stresses the importance of not passively waiting for information. Instead, the recommended approach is to swiftly identify the budget owner or a higher-level contact.

“When a deal goes dark, stop waiting,” Ashleighearly urges. “Find the budget owner, go up a level, and show up with a clean 1-pager. Where we are, what we’re solving, what’s needed to move. Someone owns that budget line. Find them.” This strategy emphasizes clear, concise communication and a direct path to decision-makers.

Industry-Wide Implications

The post concludes with a call for community input, underscoring Ashleighearly’s aim to gauge the universality of this trend. The insights shared are designed to equip sales professionals with practical tools to navigate an increasingly volatile business environment, ensuring that critical deals are not lost due to unforeseen personnel changes.