Global Leaders in Procurement & Negotiations (PSCMInstitute.com)
You’ve heard me say it many times before: I’ve virtually stopped reading books on purchasing negotiation strategies, mostly because there’s very few good ones. It’s why I wrote my own, and it’s also why I almost exclusively read sales books on negotiation strategies – to get counter intelligence. Counter intelligence. What a concept. It’s of […]
Supplier Negotiation Strategies, Pt 1: Nibbling Read More »
Just about the worst thing that happens in our profession every minute of every day is the overspending of contracts. If you ask me what’s one of the biggest sins that purchasing commits, this is the one I’d pick. Busting your tail to negotiate a great contract and then letting the contract get overspent… throwing
Purchasing Training ~ Are You Managing Contract Spends? Read More »
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 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 »
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 »
Is the Purchasing Contract Your Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy? A friend of mine recently was going to sign up to a lease for a business location for her family counseling business. Business was booming for her. She had a non-profit organization that was funneling lots of money her way. Life was good.
Purchasing Contract Training Read More »
