Years ago, procurement was all about cost performance. Back then, procurement departments had one metric and one metric alone: cost savings. Actually, quite a large number of procurement departments still only have this one key performance indicator. Sadly, there are even quite a few procurement departments out there that don’t use ANY metrics…but I digress. Today’s advanced procurement departments have…
I hope that you have enjoyed the article “Procurement Strategy Do’s & Don’ts, Part II.” This article was the second article based on my podcast with Coupa’s Ravi Thakur. That podcast was so packed with good information, not even two articles and a separate blog post could cover it all in writing. In this blog post, I’ll share another excerpt…
This Thursday – March 22, 2012 – at 11:30AM Eastern US time, Next Level Purchasing and Coupa will be leading a webinar entitled “Future Trends in Procurement.” This webinar is free to all members of the Next Level Purchasing Association (NLPA) and membership in the NLPA itself is free and instant. Here’s how to register for the webinar: If you’re…
Negotiation is no longer the most important skill for purchasing professionals, at least not according to an annual survey conducted by the Next Level Purchasing Association (NLPA) of over 2,500 global purchasing professionals. The survey, conducted in January 2012, asked participants to identify the most important skill in purchasing and supply management; Sourcing & Supplier Selection placed first. Negotiation, which…
I hope that you enjoyed the article “3 Negotiation ‘Bad Words.'” I’ve written a lot of articles about negotiation. And because your choice of words in negotiation often determines whether or not you succeed, many of those articles focus on the exact words to use, such as the article “How To Negotiate When ‘Time Is Money.’“ So many experts tout…
Every year, the Next Level Purchasing Association issues a report that illuminates career and skill trends in the purchasing and supply management profession as reported by over 2,500 purchasing professionals. The 2012 report will be released next week on March 14, 2012. Have you ever wondered: What is the most common educational level for purchasing professionals? What percentage of the…