One of the biggest challenges facing sales professionals and customer account teams around the world is the conversation about raising prices due to the global supply chain crisis and increases in raw material costs.

During the past few months, I have delivered several major Strategic Business Selling™ sales training programs to sales teams within several industries including specialty chemicals, high-tech, specialty materials, consumer products, and coatings and paints.

Throughout these engagements, the moods have been dampened as a result of the pending price issues and I have been asked to help by sharing best practices and tools that can help develop the skills to have that incredibly hard conversation with customers. It is my pleasure to share with readers of this blog the full content of an approach that can help direct and support having the raising price conversation.

One of the many joys of leading an award-winning business is helping to design and provide our point of view in the scripting of our global digital leadership simulations. Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of working on more than a dozen different business simulations that have taught skills in the areas of coaching, giving feedback, executing new leadership behaviors, leading change, leading execution, and resolving business conflicts.

In conducting our research and working with our innovative clients, it has become apparent that in 2022 and beyond trust is more important now than ever. As we move into 2022, we are going to move trust up in priority in terms of defining and learning about leadership. I can’t give way the exact algorithm, but let’s just say it is moving from being in the top 7 into the top 3. In other words, the best way to be an effective leader in our leadership simulations is to develop and establish trust.

It was one of the most fascinating learning moments of the year. And this year has been like no other in terms of incredible learning moments.

During the last several months, I have been hearing the same worried question over and over from business leaders trying to apply their new business acumen skills and tools, “Should we be worried about inflation?”

One of the many things that the COVID pandemic has lifted up is a better general understanding of the global pharmaceutical industry, how it works, and how it potentially impacts every life on the planet.