Customized Purchasing Training

I have been approached by a number of large companies who have inquired about having our existing purchasing training customized for them.

I am noticing a trend.

Not one of them has actually followed through with their entire vision. All of them get buried in more pressing matters.

Customized online training is a unnecessarily big job for companies. These companies put together a committee to think about the content. To think about the appearance on the Web. To think about the technology.

One wise man coined the phrase "In all of the parks and cities, there are no statues of committees." That's because committees generally don't get things done, at least not in a timely manner. All it takes is one member to be required to move the project from the front burner to the back burner and the project is dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.

So, these companies kick around the idea and do a bunch of work and then the invariable happens - someone gets caught up in another project and doesn't have time to work on the customized training project.

People - this is PURCHASING! There will always be unexpected high priorities. Emergencies. It is always going to be busy. You are never going to have free time!

Let's put this into perspective.

In terms of online training, where does the benefit lie? Is it in having your company's logo on the screen? No. Is it in having the material loaded on your own servers? No. Is it in having a committee spend hours reviewing material only to find areas in which to insert your company's name? No!

The benefit lies in the content.

So why waste time and money on little customizations that make little to no difference? Your competitors are getting standardized training and making improvements. Should you really be waiting?

Just take a look at the customers of our purchasing education. These people are learning and getting things done TODAY. If standardized training is a perfect fit for them, why is customized training such a necessity for some?

If you are still considering customized online procurement courses, I would suggest this. Enroll one or two of your purchasers in our purchasing classes. Then review their experience. Did they learn something? How much more valuable would their experience had been if there was customization. If the answer is "not much," you may want to consider the faster and less expensive route like the rest of the world.

Don't get me wrong. I'll be happy for Next Level Purchasing to quote on customized training. But I'd rather see your company follow a path that has proven to be successful than one that typically falls victim to other priorities.

Respectfully,
Charles Dominick, C.P.M., SPSM
President
Next Level Purchasing, Inc.