Strategic Alignment in Project Negotiations

One question turns failed PropTech pitches into closed deals. And most vendors never ask it. Here's the strategy alignment secret nobody's talking about. Last week, I watched another great product get rejected. Strong features. Clear value prop. But they pitched long-term efficiency to a merchant builder focused on exit value. Now they're wondering why the deal went nowhere. Here's how to align your pitch with their investment strategy: 1. Focus on strategy, not just asset type The secret isn't just knowing office from multifamily. It's understanding their investment timeline: Most vendors only see: • Office vs. retail • Multifamily vs. industrial • Class A vs. Class B Smart sellers also ask: • Hold period length • Exit strategy • Value creation timeline • Cash flow priorities Most fail because they stop at asset class. 2. Tailor your pitch to their timeline For long-term holders, focus on: • Operational efficiency • NOI improvement • Portfolio-wide impact • Solution stability • Compound ROI over time For short-term players, emphasize: • Repositioning acceleration • Lease-up support • Quick implementation • Flexible contract terms The timeline mismatch breaks more deals than price. 3. Ask the right questions first Start with: • "What's your typical hold period?" • "Are you looking to stabilize and hold or exit?" • "How do you handle property management?" • "What's your current solution stack?" Not: • "What types of properties do you own?" • "How many units do you have?" • "What systems are you using now?" • "When can we demo our product?" 4. Connect your value to their strategy Your pitch should show: • ROI within their ownership window • Value that matters to their strategy • Implementation that fits their timeline • Flexibility that matches their exit plans Never assume: • All owners want long-term savings • All GPs prioritize NOI • All buildings are forever holds • All operators think the same 5. Become a strategic partner Investment strategy changes everything: • It shapes their decision criteria • It determines their value metrics • It drives their timeline needs • It defines their success The difference between just another vendor and a strategic partner is understanding their investment strategy. Want to learn how the best PropTech companies align their pitches to investment strategies? Check out our free PropTech Pipeline Playbook email course in the comments.

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞. They start with misalignment that was never visible during negotiation. Early in my career, I believed strong contracts created control. 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐬, 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. On paper, everything looked protected. In reality, the pressure points appeared where alignment was missing, not where clauses were weak. I have managed supplier environments where agreements were fully compliant, yet outcomes remained fragile. Delivery timelines slipped, priorities conflicted, and accountability became negotiable the moment conditions changed. The issue was never the contract. It was the absence of shared intent behind it. Procurement does not operate in stable conditions. It operates in moving environments where suppliers carry capacity constraints, operational pressures, and competing commitments that are not always visible at the negotiation table. This is where control reaches its limit. Control ensures adherence when conditions remain predictable, but alignment determines behaviour when they do not. In complex supply networks, the real question is not whether a supplier can deliver under agreed conditions. It is whether they will prioritise your outcome when those conditions are disrupted. That decision is rarely driven by contract language. It is shaped by how clearly expectations were aligned, how early risks were discussed, and whether the supplier sees themselves as part of the outcome or outside of it. I have seen suppliers go beyond contractual obligations when alignment was strong. I have also seen suppliers stay strictly within contractual limits when alignment was absent, even if it meant the business absorbed the impact. Both scenarios were compliant, but only one was resilient. This is where procurement leadership evolves. It moves from securing terms to shaping behaviour, from enforcing compliance to building accountability that exists even when enforcement is not immediate, and from managing suppliers to aligning ecosystems that can withstand pressure. The strongest supply networks I have worked with were not built on leverage alone. They were built on clarity of intent, consistency in engagement, and relationships that could carry pressure without breaking alignment. Because when disruption arrives, suppliers do not respond to contracts first. They respond to priorities, and those priorities are shaped long before the disruption begins. A question I continue to challenge myself with: how confident are we that our most critical suppliers will protect the outcome, not just the contract, when conditions become difficult? One principle experience has made non-negotiable: "𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲." LinkedIn LinkedIn News #Procurement #Leadership #SupplyChain #SRM #LinkedInNews

Two weeks before contract signature, my incumbent supplier added £240,000 to the price. And I was meant to be on a flight to Spain. 9 months of procurement work Countless stakeholder workshops. A high-profile transformation hanging in the balance Now, my “done deal” had just exploded in cost Egg about to be smeared all over my face My CIO was saying: “We can’t delay. Just make it happen.” Instead of wine with my husband and parents in Alicante, I was pacing my flat in Manchester. Back then, I had plenty of negotiation tactics in my head. But my “strategy” was really just random acts of tactics. A push-back here A vague threat to re-tender there An awkward silence for good measure There was no system No process Just grasping Since then, I’ve built a step-by-step procurement negotiation framework I use whenever a supplier tries to move the goalposts. Here are my first 4 with real procurement examples: 1️⃣ Re-anchor to value before price Suppliers want you focused on the increase. You want them focused on the deal. "Before we talk numbers, let’s recap what’s on the table so we’re aligned." Spend 3-4 minutes on: 🔹The business problem 🔹Why they were selected (unique capabilities) 🔹The agreed scope 🔹The business impact if delayed Example: "This upgrade eliminates £500k a year in manual workarounds and is on track for a Q4 launch, which is critical for your client references in this sector." Now a pure “price increase” conversation is twice as hard for them to win. 2️⃣ Get all the asks on the table When you re-anchor, they’ll hit you with one demand. Example: "We need two extra consultants to meet your timeline." Don’t solve it yet. "If we worked with you on that, what else would be in the way of moving forward?" Keep asking until they say: “Nothing else.” Then confirm: "So if we resolved X, Y, Z, there’s nothing else stopping us from signing?" 3️⃣ Stack rank their demands Suppliers will give you a laundry list, new resources, extended payment terms, travel expenses.... Make them prioritise: "Which is most important to you, and which least?" Now you can decide where to give a little to protect what really matters. 4️⃣ Uncover the real driver If you negotiate only on what they ask for, you’re bartering. You need the why. Example: "What’s driving the need for two extra consultants?" 🔸Maybe they’re short-staffed 🔸Maybe it’s risk avoidance 🔸Maybe they’ve overpromised internally Once you know, you can: 💠 Offer your own project resources for certain tasks 💠 Shift non-critical deliverables to phase two 💠 Negotiate a capped rate for the additional consultants That 2016 project? The supplier walked away with scope they could deliver comfortably. We walked away £180k under their revised ask. And I still caught the last two days with my family in Spain. -- Enjoyed this? I write more Procurement stories in my newsletter. Link in my highlights.

Before you kick off that outsourcing project, systems integration, or digital transformation -- pause and think. Two critical principles will make or break your initiative: - First: Your vendors will sell into the environment you establish during procurement. They'll adapt to whatever culture, processes, and expectations you set, for better or worse. - Second: The best vendors are sitting on millions of dollars worth of expertise and battle-tested insights. When they're genuinely invested in your success, they'll bring that intellectual capital to the table. Most organizations miss the connection: You only unlock that second principle by getting the first one right. And it starts before the RFx goes out. If you don't create an environment of trust and candor from day one, that expertise never shows up. If you treat procurement as a test, your vendors learn to play defense. They'll craft the perfect proposal, say the right things, and then deliver whatever you happen to ask for. But if you approach procurement as a learning vehicle, a chance to drive true alignment, and a genuine two-way discovery process, you signal that you value candor and that partnership matters. That dynamic carries forward and can make or break execution. During execution, this discovery and alignment will result in your new partner bringing its A-game, sharing insights proactively, challenging your assumptions, and investing their best thinking into your shared success. This requires them to be deeply vested in the outcomes, and that takes active, thoughtful engagement. Ask the hard questions. Challenge assumptions. But do it in a way that creates space for candid dialogue. Difficult conversations handled with transparency are worth their weight in gold. This isn't overhead. It's an investment in outcomes for you AND your new partner. Are you maximizing the ROI on your vendor relationships, or sacrificing long-term value for short-term "transaction efficiency"? #TransformationEnablement #NegotiatingForHumans #LobsterSox

Two companies. Same industry. Same opportunity. Company A 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵. “Build first, fix later.” Company B invests in 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. Every AI or software initiative goes through filters like, strategic alignment, stakeholder validation, risk mapping, and resource checks. By year two, the gap is clear: A’s projects stall. Requirements shift. Integrations break. Budgets spiral. B’s initiatives stay aligned, resourced, and move to production with real business impact. By year three, B compounds efficiency. A compounds chaos - tech debt, stalled projects, and burned-out teams. The difference? Planning discipline. Over the next decade, only 25–35% of enterprises will master it, and they’ll consistently deliver innovation without chaos. The rest 65–75% will drown in fragmented execution and wasted investment. Here’s how to change that: - Enforce stage-gated approvals before code or contracts. - Demand cross-functional alignment early. - Map risks, dependencies, and capacity across your portfolio. - Treat planning as your operating system, not a one-time ritual. The wave of AI projects is coming fast. 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵. Because it does. Force Equals #ForceEquals #EnterprisePlanning #EnterpriseAI #AIPoweredPlanning

Could strategic misalignment be keeping you and your organization away from attaining maximum value? Executives and project managers are often rowing in different directions. The boat moves, but not necessarily toward value. From my doctoral research, and work with several clients, three pillars of strategic alignment consistently separate high-performing organizations from the rest: 1️⃣ Common Goals – A shared definition of success at both the strategic and operational levels. 2️⃣ Shared Language – Clear communication that bridges “executive speak” and project management terms. 3️⃣ Mutual Understanding – Executives gain insight into project realities, while PMs understand the strategic trade-offs leaders are balancing. The challenge? Most organizations talk about alignment but rarely make it a living system. That’s why I created the ALIGN™ Framework as a practical roadmap: 🪀 A – Assess the Value Chain → Define where value is created and lost. 🪀 L – Listen Across Levels → Build the “bilingual dictionary” across teams. 🪀 I – Integrate Strategy into Planning → Include PMs early in design, not just delivery. 🪀 G – Guide with Goals & Guardrails → Establish clarity with KPIs, OKRs, and constraints. 🪀 N – Navigate with Data & Confluence → Create mutual understanding with dashboards, forums, and collaboration tools. 🔑 ALIGN™ isn’t just an acronym. It’s the operating system for embedding the three pillars of Common Goals, Shared Language, and Mutual Understanding into everyday practice. When organizations apply it, strategy stops being a lofty document and becomes a lived reality. 📌 Question for you: In your organization, which of these three pillars: common goals, shared language, or mutual understanding requires the most urgent attention? Let's create the bride to ALIGN! ♻️Share to elevate others and follow🎙️Fola F. Alabi for more! #FolaElevates #StrategicLeadership #ProjectManagement #SPL #StrategicAlignment #Align #ExecutionExcellence #StrategicConfluenc