Brilliant Noise — Case Study

How Brilliant Noise won a 6 figure deal with a prestigious client by building an effective negotiation strategy and pro-actively engaging procurement.
The enabler: Piscari’s Negotiation and Procurement Insights service

Brilliant Noise x Piscari

The Client

Brilliant Noise gives clients faster marketing content and better in-house capability. They create content knowing that there is a customer who will want to see it. They are data-driven using insights that inspire creativity and convince business leaders of the value of marketing. They focus on upskilling their clients, reducing costs and lifting results.

Maddy Cooper, Founding Partner at Brilliant Noise, recognised that they needed an external perspective and expertise. They were about to negotiate a deal with the European division of a global automotive brand and procurement were leading the discussions.

Piscari worked in collaboration with Brilliant Noise’s commercial team to provide insights into how procurement work and to help build a negotiation strategy. This ensured a rigorous process and independent perspective was brought to support ultimately winning this prestigious client.

The Challenges

There were three key challenges that needed to be addressed:

  • Understanding how a procurement buyer would think and act through the negotiation process. 
  • Navigating the process of defining the scope of a strong programme when the budget was less than originally allocated. 
  • Understanding how to agree a fair rate card and accommodate performance criteria. 

The Approach

Working collaboratively with Brilliant Noise’s commercial leaders, we undertook the following steps:

  • Understood what had happened during the sales cycle and the underlying client objectives and targets.
  • Reviewed and refined the commercial proposals that the client’s procurement team were basing their negotiations around.
  • Advised on a negotiation strategy that met the objectives of both the client and Brilliant Noise including managing commercial risk. Critically, built a set of “objective criteria” by which a mutually acceptable negotiated agreement could be reached.

Outcomes and Benefits

Ultimately, Brilliant Noise won this important, 6 figure deal with a prestigious client. Additional benefits include:

  • Upskilling the team in how to review a procurement buyer’s profile and predict their negotiation style. 
  • Defining the terms for a performance-based success model.
  • The ‘objective criteria’ will be used for all deal negotiations from now on.

What’s next for the bid team at Brilliant Noise?

Brilliant Noise is set for considerable growth in the coming years. One of the key growth enablers will be the focus on bigger pitches for large national and international clients. Working with Piscari means we will have the conviction to negotiate deals that are about valuable partnerships, not price.  

Maddy Cooper
Founding Partner, Brilliant Noise

How is Piscari different from other sales/negotiation trainers and coaches?

We asked Maddy and her team, “How is Piscari different from other sales/negotiation advisors you’ve worked with?

  • “Mike really cared. He cared about us as people and cared about the quality of the outcome.”
  • “He challenged our thinking. Mike brought creative thinking to the negotiation helping to build the best commercial model for both the client and Brilliant Noise.”
  • “Mike’s experience as a procurement buyer – his ability to help Brilliant Noise see things from a buyer’s perspective was invaluable.”