The methodology
Complex deals are not complicated deals. They are a different discipline entirely.
Most organisations apply the same commercial thinking to every opportunity — regardless of scale, complexity, or what's actually at stake. That gap between approach and reality is where deals are lost.
The reality
Most commercial failures are not failures of effort. They are failures of approach.
Merrick Walford has spent over 30 years inside complex commercial deals — as a seller, a buyer, a negotiator, and a coach. What he has seen, consistently, is this:
Teams that lose complex deals rarely lose because they worked less hard than the competition. They lose because they approached a fundamentally different kind of challenge with the same tools they use for everything else.
The same is true on the buy side. Procurement teams that struggle with major supplier relationships are rarely failing through lack of process. They are failing because the questions they ask — of their internal clients, of their suppliers, of themselves — are the wrong questions.
Commercial maturity is the difference. It is not a personality trait or a talent. It is a learnable set of skills, frameworks, and mindset that change how teams approach, manage, and win complex commercial opportunities.
The framework
Four principles that change how teams operate.
01
The bigger picture
Often teams focus on the deal in front of them. The real opportunity is the relationship behind it. Commercial maturity starts with the ability to see beyond the immediate transaction to the longer-term value on both sides.
02
Structure over instinct
Experience matters. But without a framework too much is left to chance. The methodology provides a repeatable structure that teams can apply to any complex opportunity — without losing the flexibility to adapt to the specific situation.
03
Both sides of the table
Complex deals are just as hard to buy as they are to sell. Understanding what the other side actually needs — not just what they are asking for — is one of the most underleveraged skills in commercial practice. This applies whether you are selling, procuring, or negotiating.
04
Real intelligence
No pre-canned answers. No CRM pipelines that mistake time for progress. No automation that replaces judgement with probability. Just clear commercial thinking applied to your specific situation by someone who has been there.
Where it applies
Three commercial domains. One consistent principle.
The methodology is not sector-specific. It has been developed and tested across 25 countries and more than four decades of complex commercial activity. It applies wherever the stakes are high, the relationships are long, and the conventional approach is not enough.
Complex sales and business development
For sales managers and commercial teams working on high-value, multi-stakeholder opportunities where a standard sales process is insufficient. Covering opportunity strategy, stakeholder mapping, proposal development, negotiation, and contract award.
Procurement and supplier relationships
For procurement and commercial teams who want to move beyond transactional supplier management toward the kind of aligned, relationship-based contracting that delivers better outcomes for both sides. Including supplier evaluation, contract structure, and the questions that procurement teams rarely think to ask.
Commercial maturity and organisational development
For organisations that want to build commercial capability across their teams — not just train individuals. Including leadership workshops, commercial strategy facilitation, and the Mbrace tools developed specifically to support commercial decision-making.
Where it started
The methodology became a story.
Selling is More Than Sales is not a business textbook. It is a narrative — a story that follows a commercial team through a high-stakes complex opportunity from the very first conversation to contract award.
The methodology in the book is the same methodology Merrick brings to his consulting, coaching, and speaking work. Reading it is the fastest way to understand the thinking before committing to anything else.
Complex deals are hard to win. They are just as hard to procure.
Most commercial thinking is written from the sell side. Merrick's experience sits on both sides of the table — and the methodology reflects that. If you are a procurement or commercial team looking for a better framework for supplier evaluation, relationship management, or commercial alignment, this work is relevant to you too.
Work in this area is currently in development. If you would like to be part of that conversation, get in touch.