It\u2019s funny how coincidences happen.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t miss updates on Procurement & Supply Chain, Subscribe here!<\/p>\n
Yesterday, I posted about the new internal employee handbook that we are going to debut tomorrow. I accidentally left out one of the most important (and purchasing and supply management-related) excerpts.<\/p>\n
Then I had a phone conversation that reminded me how important this excerpt is.<\/p>\n
Among the sales community, purchasing professionals generally have a bad reputation. We\u2019re tough \u2013 actually, make that rude \u2013 negotiators to them. We\u2019re jerks is what they basically think.<\/p>\n
Well, some of us are. Some are stuck in that 1970\u2019s mentality that the ruder you are, the better deal you\u2019ll get. But, personally, I\u2019ve found that the vast majority of us have evolved to the point where we are very professional and do a good job of representing the profession. That doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re not firm. We\u2019re just sophisticated in our toughness.<\/p>\n
But what I have observed is that people who have supplier contact and are not purchasing professionals are exhibiting that \u201cjerk\u201d disposition when speaking with suppliers.<\/p>\n
The phone call I had was with an HR-type charged by his VP of Purchasing to specifically research Next Level Purchasing\u2019s purchasing certification. I have to say that the call involved some of the rudest treatment I\u2019ve ever received. I was spoken over. What I said was belittled. I was told that my counterpart had to go before I finished what I was saying in response to him. And, of course, I got the it-makes-me-feel-like-a-real-man-to-say-this \u201cwe\u2019ll get it from someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Uh, sorry. We\u2019re not K-mart. A purchasing certification isn\u2019t a roll of toilet paper available at a fine retailer near you.)<\/p>\n
Now, keep in mind that I simply answered this guy\u2019s questions and told him what he said he needed to know, which apparently was different than what he wanted. I don\u2019t pick fights, you know?<\/p>\n
But beyond taking personal umbrage at this behavior, I thought: how is this guy doing justice for his internal customer? He works for a publicly-held company \u2013 is he serving his investors properly?<\/p>\n
After all, the SPSM Certification isn\u2019t just about earning a certificate and getting approval to use credentials after your name. It is about making an impact on the bottom line. SPSM\u2019s make their companies more profitable. Our success stories attest to that fact.<\/p>\n
So this guy\u2019s personal \u201cstyle\u201d may be standing in the way of his company making an insanely profitable investment. Millions of dollars of potential cost savings could be forgone due to his behavior.<\/p>\n
In addition, he is representing his company to the business community and shaping its reputation. I won\u2019t name the company here because this guy is probably one \u201cloose cannon,\u201d but it would be easy to do some harm to his company\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n
It is executive management\u2019s job to codify how individuals are expected to represent the company, even in communications with suppliers. Our employee handbook does that.<\/p>\n
Additionally, when purchasing or supplier contact is decentralized, it is the purchasing and supply management department\u2019s job to educate its internal customers about proper ways to communicate with suppliers. As much as this guy\u2019s personality grated on me, he may have been left to his own devices to figure out how to communicate with suppliers and 1970\u2019s-style purchasing may have been the only method he ever heard of.<\/p>\n
So I\u2019ll close this post with an excerpt from the \u201cExternal Relationships\u201d section of our employee handbook. I think that every CEO should insist on this type of verbiage being included in their own handbook or policy manual.<\/p>\n
The reputation of the company depends on this type of guidance.<\/p>\n
Customer Relationships<\/strong> Supplier Relationships Recommending Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n The SPSM Certification Story<\/a> It\u2019s funny how coincidences happen. Don\u2019t miss updates on Procurement […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nOur students, prospective students, and their employers are valued by Next Level Purchasing, Inc. as a company. Their faith in our ability to deliver gives all Next Level Purchasing, Inc. employees the opportunity to have rewarding careers. This fact should be remembered in all interactions with them. It is our collective goal to delight them with the high quality of service that we provide. Next Level Purchasing, Inc. wants to stand out as a company that provides excellent service in a business world that sorely lacks it.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Our suppliers help us reach our goals and delight our students by providing goods and services that we are unable to cost effectively provide with our own resources. All suppliers and prospective suppliers should be treated with professionalism and respect because all external interactions affect the perception of Next Level Purchasing, Inc. in the business community. Employees can be firm, effective negotiators without sacrificing professionalism or respect for suppliers.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nYour Purchasing Resume<\/a>
\nThe SPSM Certification Goes More Global<\/a>
\nLeadership Questions<\/a>
\nNew Computer Lessons Learned<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"