It's About Relationships First And Foremost

It's About Relationships First And Foremost

Purchasing is the art of building relationships. It is not about negotiations, transactions, industry knowledge, market knowledge, know-how or technology. It is all about building strong relationships and gaining the trust of suppliers, customers, and colleagues. Nothing else comes close to building relationships in importance for successful purchasing. A purchasing professional must be able to build relationships or they are about as useless as a screen door on a submarine. They may need to pursue another career. Do not spend inordinate amounts of money on so called purchasing technical training unless a strong foundation of relationships is well underway. You cannot fake relationships. You cannot legislate it. Purchasing professionals need to live it and commit to it. Integrity in relationships will always carry the day, impress suppliers, scare the competition, and let you sleep well at night. Educational credentials look good, and certifications are impressive but nothing makes a purchasing professional more effective than developing strong relationships and being true to their word. Spending more time on relationships almost always pays off for all participants. Once trust or relationships are broken they are nearly impossible to repair, so don't neglect them or underestimate their criticality. You will not be able to dig yourself out of any of the deep holes that you dig by dishonest relationships. Smoozing is a lot easier than shoveling. Honesty builds respect.