For example, if you are selling motivation training and communicating with the HR department, the first-level problem might be, let’s say, employee turnover.
A secondary issue will be that, for example, it is mainly mid-level managers who are leaving, and it is expensive to train them.
The problem at the third level is that the decapitated departments are unproductive, and this ends up costing a pretty penny.
After that, a level four problem arises: the company, in crisis, is forced to resort to layoffs in order to make ends meet, which are not being met due to what seems to be a trivial issue of “turnover.”
The problem at the final level is that the HR manager is a single mother and simply cannot afford to lose this job. At the same time, she realizes that her subordinates will do the same work as she does, but for less money. And when you get to the heart of the matter, there will be no room for objections, especially since the training costs around 5,000 bucks—pocket change compared to the overall losses for the company and the personal concerns of the HR manager.
The question is how to work with the HR person in order to get to the root of the problem without alarming or scaring her, but rather to offer support and be a saving angel.
Note that there is no mention of kickbacks here. However, the same issue is being addressed — the involvement of personal interest in resolving your matter. But in this context, a kickback is an unacceptable phenomenon, essentially meaning theft from your own company, rather than an agreement on a discount with the seller.