Whew, we have finally made it to the final four procurement tips! \u00a0We have previously shared our\u00a0March Madness Procurement Tips and our Sweet 16 Procurement Tips. Now, here are our final four procurement tips for purchasing professionals:<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t miss updates on Procurement & Supply Chain, Subscribe here!<\/p>\n
#4.<\/strong> \u00a0I have had the pleasure of working with multiple purchasing professionals over the past few years. I recently wrote an article in celebration of Procurement Month that included one of my favorite quotes that really gives a great perspective on the procurement profession. So, my best advice would be to believe in yourself and believe in this quote. I have copied the quote and my explanation within the recent article here:<\/p>\n \u201cMoney is of no value; it cannot spend itself. All depends on the skill of the spender.\u201d<\/em> This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson was made at a speech in 1844 to the Mercantile Library Association, in Boston, MA. There is true skill in buying within the public sector and the procurement profession in general. Nearly 175 years later, it is doubtful that anyone could say it better.<\/p>\n I would also say that being transparent is extremely important advice. Working with public sector purchasing departments, transparency is needed. However, even within the private sector, having a transparent sourcing process only helps the organization. Transparency in spend, transparency in qualified vendors, transparency in responses. #3.<\/strong> \u00a0With a growing number of consumers taking a greater interest in a company\u2019s procurement practices, supply chain professionals need to ensure that a stringent supplier selection vetting process is in place. Building an open, constructive and collaborative relationship with new and existing suppliers will help keep companies out of negative headlines in the press. At the same time a competitive advantage in the eyes of consumers can be built upon through increasingly transparent procurement processes. #2.<\/strong> \u00a0This advice to me came from my boss when I was a young purchasing manager in my first job in the profession. \u201cNever be afraid to ask questions\u201d he said. That is sensible in life generally but in the context of talking to, working and negotiating with suppliers, it is excellent advice. So if you are going round a supplier\u2019s plant for instance, don\u2019t be intimidated, ask what might seem to be stupid questions \u2013 they are often the ones that get the most information or revealing answers. \u201cWhy isn\u2019t that machine running\u201d?<\/p>\n \u201cCan you explain what you mean by this paragraph\u201d with respect to a proposal or tender is another good example of when we should never be frightened to ask even apparently simple questions. And in negotiation, obviously if we are trying to generate \u201coptions for mutual gain\u201d (as per Getting to Yes), then questions are often the best way of doing that. Why do you want that concession? What could you do in return if I agreed that? How could we work together to help you get a higher profile? So never be afraid to ask. If you want continuous improvement in your career (and your paycheck), you must continually improve your qualifications.\u00a0 And that\u2019s where a procurement certification can come in.<\/p>\n To \u201ccertify\u201d means to \u201cofficially recognize someone as possessing certain qualifications or meeting certain standards.\u201d\u00a0 Therefore, when someone is not<\/em> certified, this casts doubt on whether a person possesses qualifications or meets standards.\u00a0 And it should.<\/p>\n Compared to qualifications like graduate degrees, earning a procurement certification is neither expensive nor oppressively time-consuming.\u00a0 Therefore, it is a qualification that absolutely should be pursued by nearly every member of the profession.<\/p>\n There are very few legitimate excuses that can justify someone in a professional procurement role not being certified.\u00a0 Certainly not excuses like \u201cI don\u2019t have time,\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m not good at tests,\u201d or \u201cI don\u2019t need it.\u201d<\/p>\n In my opinion, those reasons for not being certified are euphemistic ways of saying \u201cI\u2019m not confident that I could succeed at earning a procurement certification.\u201d\u00a0 And someone that lacks that basic confidence in themselves is unlikely to earn the confidence of an executive team appointing someone to a higher-level procurement position where challenges are many and decisions are difficult.<\/p>\n A procurement certification proves not only that someone possesses qualifications and meets standards in the profession.\u00a0 It shows that someone is a doer, not an excuse-maker.\u00a0 It demonstrates that they are serious about their profession.\u00a0 And it proves quite convincingly that they can set a goal and put in the effort and intellectual horsepower to achieve it.<\/p>\n Now those are the type of people that the procurement profession needs, especially at higher levels.\u00a0 So, if you really want to advance in procurement, I advise you to pursue the qualification that will show how valuable and serious you are:\u00a0 your procurement certification. There you have it, our Final Four procurement Tips. \u00a0Thank you so much for taking the time to contribute, read and share these valuable procurement tips! \u00a0If cased you missed them, here are our\u00a0March Madness Procurement Tips and our Sweet 16 Procurement Tips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whew, we have finally made it to the final four […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4043,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-procurement"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nRalph Waldo Emerson<\/p>\n
\nKim Cullen |\u00a0Director of Marketing |\u00a0BidNet\u00a0| SourceSuite |\u00a0@SourceSuite<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nDavid Weaver | Inventory & Supply Chain Division| INFORM Institute | Inventory and Supply Chain Blog | @Weaver_davidw<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nPeter Smith | Managing Director\u00a0| SpendMatters UK\u00a0|\u00a0@spendmattersuk<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nThe 2015 National Champion
\nof Procurement Tips<\/h2>\n
\nCharles Dominick | President and Chief Procurement Officer | Next Level Purchasing Association |\u00a0@nextlevelpurch<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n