In Offensive Negotiating, Constant Negotiations is the practice of treating a change in the status quo as a reason to talk, not as background noise until renewal. Input costs move, supply shifts, a competitor adjustment, a category spike, or a new buyer can each change the economics of a deal. If you wait for the annual review, you can miss months of profit that a timely conversation could have captured.
Watch the conditions, not the calendar
A contract date is one trigger. It is not the only one. Costs can rise or fall over a few weeks. Fill rate can improve. A retailer can reorganize the buying team. Demand in a category can jump. Each of those is a legitimate reason to reopen terms. The skill is noticing the shift while it is still current, then asking whether it creates a reason to engage. If it does, bring it up. Do not file it for the next scheduled review and hope the math still holds.
Open with the change, not a demand
The opening can stay plain. “Our costs have moved over the last six weeks. I want to talk about how we adjust terms to reflect that.” Or: “Fill rate has been strong, and I think we are underusing the relationship. I want to talk about expanding.” You are creating a conversation that did not exist. You are not attacking the last agreement. Name the condition, name the business effect, and ask for a discussion. That is enough to put the opportunity on the table.
Look for mutual improvement
Constant negotiations is not a license to pick apart small invoices. The point is to find changes that support growth both sides can invest in. A cost increase might pair with volume, a longer commitment, or a narrower scope. A strong fill rate might support a broader assortment or better placement. When the ask is tied to a real shift, the other side has a reason to listen. When it is a habit of reopening settled points with no new facts, it reads as friction.
The practical takeaway: This week, list one status quo change in a key account and open a short conversation about what that change means for terms.
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