Posts

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Are Business Cards Still Relevant?

Exchanging business cards was an important part of the customer/client relationship. Since COVID, there are less face to face meetings and less cards being exchanged. Couple that with evolving communication technology and a person can wonder if the business card is past its prime.

This video discusses the potential demise of the business card and provides a full tutorial on making your own NFC business card (you are going to need these blank NFC cards).

The tutorial offers a solution that is significantly cheaper than Linq or Popl.

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Secrets to Mastering the Art of Negotiation

Thumbnail, man in suit, yellow background, looking to negotiate.

Negotiation is a major element of the procurement function, but people treat it as a battle.

Someone doesn’t have to lose to have a successful negotiation. Instead of viewing it as a fight, treat it as a dance… and sometimes you are dancing with multiple people.

As you coordinate with your business customers, your legal team, the other company’s sales team and lawyers – this dance can get complicated, so learn how to better prepare in this video.

Recommended Reading:

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How Do Teams Become Dysfunctional?

Poor communication, no training, and lack of resources can lead to teams becoming less productive. But those issues could be a part of more dysfunctional problems like a fundamental lack of trust within the organization.

This video leverages Patrick Lencioni’s “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” to highlight areas where things can go very badly.

I then use examples from Jim Collins’ book “Great By Choice” to build a team back up by allowing them to be creative and try new ideas.

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Developing Managers and Leaders

I spent the last two months reading articles, finding videos, and reading books about leadership development. I was surprised with what I found.

45% of managers report they did not receive formal training to manage people or develop strategy.

How can we have so many people striving to advance, yet we don’t have a good system to ensure we are developing good managers and leaders?

This video covers development strategies mixed with my own personal experiences and thoughts.

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How Does Procurement Get a Seat at the Table?

One of the most frequently asked procurement questions is… “how does procurement get a seat at the table?”

For non-procurement people, this means:

  • Being including in purchasing decisions with business customers
  • Customers asking for feedback about suppliers
  • Using procurement data to develop trends and drive better purchasing decisions

This video covers 5 techniques to improve procurement and business engagement:

  1. Aligning Procurement with Business Goals
  2. Building Strong Relationships
  3. Leveraging Data and Analytics
  4. Demonstrating Leadership
  5. Continuous Improvement