When pace slows, the instinct is to talk about rate. It is the fastest lever and the easiest conversation to have. It is also the one that erodes value fastest.
Ask better questions before offering a better price
The strongest commercial conversations start with the client's problem: their travel patterns, their budget pressures, their internal stakeholders. Rate becomes a component of a solution rather than the entire pitch.
Prepare for the accounts that matter
A team cannot run high-value conversations across two hundred accounts. Pick the twenty that shape the year, prepare properly for each, and accept that the rest can be handled with lighter-touch activity.