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Feb28
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I never realized the full power or value of promotional vendor products until today.
All Buyers have a desk full of relatively cheap promotional products with logos and taglines emblazoned on them. These are the marketing give-aways or promo products picked up at trade shows, left by vendors after sales calls, or delivered by mail with sales literature. Samples that I have include fancy pens, water bottles, key chain flashlights, pape rclip holders, and wrist rests. There are thousands of other possibilities and entire catalogs devoted to them.
Let's go back in time for a moment...
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Feb28
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Measuring vendor performance is a good and worthy goal. It can also be very difficult. The first decision Buyers must make is what exactly will they measure. It probably won't be how fast they get answers to their questions or...
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I was going to define stakeholder simply as someone in a company who is affected by the outcome of a particular decision. Then I found this definition that adds another layer. I like how they specify that the person can...
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Why 7? So there is room for you to come up with 3 of your own. Whenever a vendor loses a bid, he or she invariably contacts the Buyer and wants to know why. What went wrong? How could I have presented...
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Ah, this is an age-old question. The conventional wisdom states that a Purchase Order costs anywhere from 75-150 dollars. How can this be right? Are they written on the King's parchment in specially designed gold ink? Hardly. It's all due...
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Feb27
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Scholastic will print about as many copies of the next Harry Potter book as the number of promises some vendors will make during the sales process. As good old Harry often learns, things are not always as they seem and spells...
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How often do you utter a phrase like the following? "If only Receiving would enter these in the computer the way we enter them, we wouldn't have all these problems." Perhaps nobody has ever showed Receiving (or at least not the current...
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How often has this idea come up at staff meeting? "What we should really do is have some people switch jobs for day from different departments, then they could see what we really go through all day!" This is often...
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No, this post this is not about a new and risqué online dating service! When Purchasing professionals use the term "three way match," they are referring to the concept that the details (primarily prices and quantities, secondarily payment terms and delivery dates) in the...
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Feb26
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Why 7? It's 30% more efficient than reading a "Top 10" list. 1) We never have back-orders. (Sounds good, but all Purchasing professionals know this is a lie!) 2) What do you mean you didn't get it? We sent it...
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There are few things I saw debated more behind the scenes than the whole topic of working with Women-owned and Minority-owned Businesses. I say "behind the scenes" because I mostly heard private grumbling as opposed to actually reading thoughtful articles or seeing...
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Feb25
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As promised here in Melonie Murray's Workerette blog and in the comments here, this is more detailed information about Women and Minority certifications for business. In the comments link above, I explain how some companies can't even qualify to get government contracts if...
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Contract Discussion Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, nor have any been named after me to the best of my knowledge. (Note to John Grisham: Feel free to name a lawyer character after me in your next novel.) In this post, I will share with you...
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Feb24
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I just ran a little test in Google. This is what a found for the top 10 results in each category: "Purchasing Mission Statement" - 9 for universities/colleges and 1 county government result. Sample "Procurement Mission Statement" - 3 educational institutions, 2 government,...
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Feb23
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I just found this posting online saying that a study reveals that world class Procurement organizations pay 41% higher. My first reaction was of course they do. They therefore attract and retain the best employees which result in making them...
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I worked for a large company that had an annual Vendor Fair. This is an excellent idea because it brings the vendors and the user community face to face. It gives your users a chance to ask questions and get...
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Why 7? You’re busy and “Top 10” lists are usually padded anyway. 1) E-mail is returned by her system with the message “The mailbox you're trying to reach is full.” 2) The vendor’s voice mail won’t let you leave a...
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Feb22
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In every aspect of business, there comes a time when expertise or assistance is needed beyond the capabilities or capacities of the current employees. The Purchasing field is no different. Enter the consultants or perhaps the CONSULTANTS. What's the difference, you...
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Contract Discussion Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. (Note to The American Bar Association: I'd love to play a lawyer on TV, though, so please feel free to get in contact with me when casting your next commercial.) In...
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Contract Discussion Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. (Note to Court TV: I'd love to play a lawyer on TV, though, so please feel free to get in contact with me when casting your next judicial re-enactment show.) In this...
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Contract Discussion Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. (Note to Dick Wolf: I'd love to play a lawyer on TV, though, so please feel free to get in contact with me when creating your next Law &...
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Feb21
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Contract Discussion Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. (Note to David E Kelly: I'd love to play a lawyer on TV, though, so please feel free to get in contact with me when creating your next show.) ...
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Contract Discussion Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. (Note to casting directors: I would love to play a lawyer on TV, though, so please feel free to get in contact with me.) A contract is simply...
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Feb20
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We often encounter issues in our personal lives that make us stop and wonder if we are doing the right thing in a certain situation. Similar issues can occur on the job as well. They can sneak up on us before we...
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When I was in college, I once read that people who take sales calls don't suffer fools gladly. At the time, it didn't mean much to me, but years later as a Buyer, those words have great resonance. A couple recent posts...
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Feb19
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Humor is a great way to get one's point across in business, especially if the audience may have already have some negative preconceptions of the topic. I wrote and directed a short skit titled Who Needs A Contract? which earned great...
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Feb17
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Let’s define three terms a Purchasing person might use in requesting information from a potential vendor: RFP, RFQ and RFI. The first two letters are consistent and mean Request For while the last letters of “P,” “Q,” and “I” stand...
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Feb16
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I found out a few years ago when I told people that my occupation was “Corporate Purchasing,” they didn’t necessarily interpret that correctly. Some thought I was a “Corporate Raider” type who orchestrated hostile company takeovers and wooed venture capitalists while...
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Feb15
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Welcome to Purchase Realm. I’m Matthew W. Grant and this is my new blog covering all aspects of Purchasing such as: What is Purchasing? Who needs a contract? Why do PO's cost so much? Vendor Management Ethics in Purchasing...
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