Modern Purchasing Department

I hope that you have enjoyed the article "10 Signs of a Modern Purchasing Department."

Obviously there are more indications that a purchasing department is on the leading edge. There are too many other small points to mention. And many of the specifics will be outdated in a year or two. But there are a couple of categories where purchasing departments should always seek to evolve:

1. Technology

2. Innovation and Competitive Advantage Through Supplier Relations

3. Closeness To Senior Management

Improvement in these areas is a timeless strategy.

Respectfully,
Charles Dominick, C.P.M., SPSM
President
Next Level Purchasing, Inc.
Struggling To Have A Rewarding Purchasing Career?
Earn Your SPSM Certification Online At
http://www.NextLevelPurchasing.com

Pittsburgh & Moon Township

Next Level Purchasing has provided its education to purchasers on every continent except Antarctica. And we do so right from our headquarters in beautiful Moon Township, Pennsylvania - a suburb of Pittsburgh.

When I am interviewed for magazine articles, I always say that Next Level Purchasing is based in a suburb of Pittsburgh, by Pittsburgh International Airport, or some other reference linking us to Pittsburgh. Let's face it - our students in Australia or Singapore or other far-away countries don't really have a point of reference for Moon Township. But they are more likely to have heard of Pittsburgh.

I refer to Pittsburgh simply to make it more clear to readers where we are. There are many other large organizations with headquarters here that do the same: GlaxoSmithKline, FedEx Ground, Nova Chemicals, Cutler-Hammer, and more. Yep, all from Moon Township - a great place for business (obviously)!

I'll have more news shortly as to where my articles and interviews are popping up in print publications. Stay tuned!

Respectfully,
Charles Dominick, C.P.M., SPSM
President
Next Level Purchasing, Inc.
Struggling To Have A Rewarding Purchasing Career?
Earn Your SPSM Certification Online At
http://www.NextLevelPurchasing.com

Another Vendor Negotiation Article

I was interviewed a while back by Multi-Channel Merchant Magazine for an article they were doing on vendor negotiations. I asked them to send a copy of the magazine when it was printed, but I never received one.

I was doing some unrelated searching on the Web and came across the article. You can check it out at http://multichannelmerchant.com/mag/perfect_partners_120105/


Respectfully,
Charles Dominick, C.P.M., SPSM
President
Next Level Purchasing, Inc.
Struggling To Have A Rewarding Purchasing Career?
Earn Your SPSM Certification Online At
http://www.NextLevelPurchasing.com

Vendor Negotiations

I hope that you have enjoyed the article "Vendor Negotiations: Timing Is Everything."

It was fun to be able to incorporate a Steeler Super Bowl moment into an edition of PurchTips within about a day of their victory. As I say, "timing is everything."

I'm a little behind on my work from reading all of the Super Bowl articles this morning, so I'm not going to blog much to add to the article. I think that, by reading the article, it's clear that you always have to ask yourself "Is this the right time?" before utilizing any significant vendor negotiation tactic.

Don't worry...with the Penguins' season going so badly, I don't anticipate many sports distractions from my blogging before Steeler season starts again in August!

Respectfully,
Charles Dominick, C.P.M., SPSM
President
Next Level Purchasing, Inc.
Struggling To Have A Rewarding Purchasing Career?
Earn Your SPSM Certification Online At
http://www.NextLevelPurchasing.com

SPSM Certification Success Stories

I am really psyched about a new area of our site we just added.

It's called "SPSM Certification Success Stories." And it features video slideshows based on audio interviews with individuals who have earned their SPSM Certifications.

It is so rewarding to hear these folks share their experiences of how our purchasing certification helped them get great jobs, excellent performance evaluations, and massive raises. Those are exactly the type of results that I wanted to help people achieve when I founded Next Level Purchasing back in 2000. I am so grateful to have people willing to step up and share their secrets to success.

If you have earned the SPSM Certification and have a success story that you'd like to share, contact me. I'd love to hear about it and considering including it as we grow the SPSM Certification Success Stories section.

Respectfully,
Charles Dominick, C.P.M., SPSM
President
Next Level Purchasing, Inc.
Struggling To Have A Rewarding Purchasing Career?
Earn Your SPSM Certification Online At
http://www.NextLevelPurchasing.com