Getting Your Purchasing Team to have Passion for Their
Work
1. Eliminate
and reject non-value adding work. Often purchasing is the target of
bureaucratic reports and busy work. Most process mapping reveals that only 5% or less of process steps are value adding to
the direct customer (the one who pays for your product or service). Defend them
and their work with a passion.
2. Focus
on what the Voice of the Customer says matters. Internal customers are
important but final customer is the one who should drive your goals.
3. Dramatically
improve industry knowledge of a key materials or services. Purchasing
professionals need to become industry experts not specialized materials or
services experts.
4. Drive
to understand the business and what counts for profitability. Continuously meet
with sales and engineering to understand the product and customer dynamics. It
is incredibly important to understand what is most important to the customer.
5. Do
not overly specialize in a material understand your entire product and interactions.
6. Metrics,
rewards and goals should be somewhat based on the industry or market developments
of your materials or services not just savings.
7. Encourage
professionals to become the main contact for a key supplier and manage the
relationship.
8. Constantly
build leadership skills by delegating. Appoint professionals to run cross
functional teams.
9. Focus
on metrics not theatrics.
10. Work
on soft and people skills.
11. Become
marketers internally and externally.
12. Get
certifications and more professionalism
13. Creativity
sessions and brainstorming
14. Meet
suppliers on their turf often
15. Find
their strengths and utilize them.
16. Social
media skills
17. Presentation
skills
18. Data
driven decisions
19. Plan
to have fun with exercises and events
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