To Learn Something Completely New About Procurement or More About What You Already Know?

We track a lot of metrics here at the Next Level Purchasing Association.  But one of my favorite numbers to look at is the number of hits to our PurchTips articles on the day that each is released.

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With over 300 articles, it’s interesting to watch how patterns form.  Here’s a pattern that I’ve noticed.

When I write an article that can teach procurement professionals more about something they already know, like negotiation, the hits are through the roof.

When I write an article about a relatively new topic, like this week’s article on using Net Promoter Score in procurement, the hits are average or slightly less than average.

This concerns me a little.

While it is always great to learn as much as you can about familiar topics like negotiation, it shouldn’t only be the most ambitious procurement professionals that want to learn about more emerging topics like Net Promoter Score or supply chain social responsibility.  It should be everyone.

So, the answer to the question “should one learn something completely new about procurement or more about what she already knows?” is easy:  both!