Global Leaders in Procurement & Negotiations (PSCMInstitute.com)
The comfort zone is, well, comfortable. That’s why it’s so easy to stay in. I was speaking to a large group of government purchasing professionals this week regarding this very topic. The problem with the comfort zone, as I put it to them, is that “20 years will pass, and you will suddenly find out […]
Are You Operating in Your Comfort Zone? Read More »
It’s a new year, and everyone is setting their annual goals. You need to be doing the same. But first, a quick true story: I have a very good friend who sets all sorts of goals for himself every year, none of which ever get achieved, and he always wonders why. I constantly tell him
Have You Completed Your Purchasing Expenditure Plan for 2014? Read More »
It’s the holiday season, and I’m going to keep this short. What you have to be grateful for is working in the greatest profession on earth. I mean it. Just think about it. You have power that comes with your position. You have the power to give, and you have the power to take. You
What Purchasing Professionals Have to be Grateful For Read More »
I was presenting at an International Purchasing Conference in South America this week. This is for one of the organizations of the IFPSM – The International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management – and this organization is chartered to drive purchasing excellence for the entire region of South America. I was their headline speaker for
Purchasing ~ Are Your Single/Sole Sourced Suppliers Price Gouging You? Read More »
One of the most misunderstood clauses in any contract is the warranty clause. Purchasing professionals everywhere get it wrong. And the reason why is really simple: the standard warranty language in your contract doesn’t know what you are buying, so it’s not written to help you. Think about it! Your standard contract template doesn’t know
Purchasing Training ~ Are You Killing Yourself with Your Own Warranty Clause? Read More »
We talk a lot about TCO. That’s our business. But there is a huge currency risk issue rumbling and I don’t hear and haven’t heard anyone talking about it. It has to do with the Chinese Yuan, and ALL of you are affected by it, whether or not your direct supply base is in China.
Look at What Currency Risk is Doing to Your TCO! Read More »
Suppliers perform poorly everywhere. Sometimes it’s their fault, sometimes it’s not. Ever see a sports star go to another team and then suddenly lose their magic? You have to wonder if it’s a coaching problem. In our case, a poorly performing supplier may be a purchasing problem! In any event, the one thing you have
How Suppliers Let Themselves Off the Hook for Poor Performance Read More »
“Pays for Performance” Purchasing Training Go look at your corporate contract templates. I can already see them in my mind: Goods, Services, Goods & Services, Construction, and Software. You might have some other boutique contract templates, but these are the standard norm for big companies. The problem is this: all of them are written
Are You Buying Performance Results From Your Suppliers? Read More »
Supply Chain Management Counter Intelligence I think I’ve mentioned to you before that I’ve stopped reading purchasing books. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I don’t learn anything from them anymore, and haven’t in a long while. Heck, that’s why I started writing my own. So what I do now, actually what I’ve been
Are You Smarter Than the People Selling To You? Read More »
I taught a full day public seminar this week on the topic of “Catapulting Your Cost Savings Results”. There are so many opportunities buyers leave on the table. It’s my job to get purchasing professionals past that and to help them see all the big TCO areas they’ve never even looked at. For instance, purchasing professionals
Is Asking Suppliers to Reduce Price All You’ve Got In Your Bag of Tricks? Read More »
