In Part 1 we looked at your improved standing among industry peers when pursuing professional purchasing certifications. Today we continue by moving the circle inward a bit to how this relates to your standing among the vendors and other suppliers with whom you conduct business. These are companies and people that you have ongoing relationships with where certifications can make both a direct and indirect impact with these third party suppliers and vendors.
Negotiation between the purchasing manager and the suppliers can be tricky The amount saved and terms agreed upon depend in part upon the skills of you and your procurement team. These skills can be developed through certification and continued education after you are on the job. Then there is also an indirect benefit when different expectations are set forth because the supplier knows you are certified and this provides for greater respect.
Certification breeds mutual respect and with that the entire process can change from one of negotiation and trying to get the best deal for yourself to one of collaboration with the suppliers. Collaboration with the suppliers can not only help you to save money for your company in the most obvious ways, but there are many intangible benefits like receiving top priority, more responsiveness, and extra favors when you need an order at the last minute or adjustments made when forecasts change. Things that are “not allowed” can suddenly find workarounds when you have a spirit of working together.
Collaboration is not something that just happens because it is a good idea. A relationship must be cultivated and developed. In order to propose the collaboration with the supplier the purchasing manager must demonstrate competency and professionalism in addition to a genuine, unselfish desire to the other person helped. At some point, decision-makers for both are brought into the picture and formal or informal agreements are reached for working together. Certifications help support the idea of collaboration. The procurement leader or representative with certification tends to get more respect than the one who is not certified.
In our increasingly global economy certifications become another tool to bringing your company on part with your competition. The competition is growing internationally and if your competition has taken the time and effort to become certified while you have not, this could put you at a disadvantage in the marketplace. While there isn’t a global certification that is recognized around the world, certifications will enhance your company’s resume. With stiff international competition, this is one area you won’t want to overlook.
As you can see, purchasing certification gives you a slight advantage with improved standing with vendors. Direct and indirect benefits will make you more competitive dealing with international or local suppliers and vendors.
