[Negotiation] Tell me about your approach to payment terms, lead times, service levels, and contract levers.

I treat those as commercial levers, not legal or administrative afterthoughts. Payment terms affect cash and supplier willingness. Lead times and service levels affect how much operational risk the business is carrying. Contract language affects what happens when things stop going smoothly, which they eventually do.

So my approach is to look at those levers together. A deal that looks acceptable on price can still be weak if the...