Scanmarket’s Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions for 2017
Much like that diet or gym membership, we always start off the New Year with grand plans and high expectations often to see them slip as the reality of life and pressures of the workload bear down. This year, pick a small number of procurement resolutions that you can see through to the end. Make sure that they are achievable, add value, and align with your long-term vision for your team.
Thursday, January 5, 2017
- Find new blood – Your suppliers are great but it’s a big world out there. Last year, Scanmarket had users and suppliers from 160 different countries take part in projects. As tempting as it might be to go with the “tried and true”, it’s a proven fact that more bidders = more savings (Driving Excellence - Global eAuction Trends & Best Practices). Challenge your team to constantly be including new sources of supply in their projects.
- Build your talent NOW – The coming strategic sourcing talent shortage has been a topic of industry discussion for some time (Four Reasons for the Supply Chain Talent Shortage, Part 1). Take the time NOW to map your requirements against your future needs and plan to fill any gaps. Recognize that the skill sets you’ve been working with in the past are not those that will meet your needs going forward.
- Be a Marketer – Your group may be doing the best work imaginable. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really matter unless others know about it. Find a way to publicize your wins inside and outside your organization. Go to the Marketing department and ask them for help in building a program/campaign to get the word out about all the good things your group does every day.
- Try something new – In the daily pressure to execute projects and events, it can be tempting to rely on the “tried and true” in formats and strategies. Instead, find areas where you can introduce new approaches (eAuction format and strategy selection) especially for categories where you need to “shake things up” to generate new value and savings.
- Make it Easy – Know that the best way to get your people, suppliers, stakeholders and customers to participate in an initiative is if it’s simple for them to take part. Resist the urge to add “nice to have” components unless they actually add value (e.g. new auction formats in #4 above). Make help easy to find (think Quick Call) and remember that your savings goal is 100% dependent on others playing along.
