In a recent episode of the Negotiations Ninja podcast, I talked with Michael van Keulen (MVK)—the Chief Procurement Officer at Coupa Software. We talk about digital transformation in procurement and how many organizations are still resistant to change. MVK also talks about the importance of getting your stakeholders on board with any new implementation. Part of that process is making sure you choose the right software. You need to think about the founding principles of…
How a GPO Benefits Members AND Suppliers
A Group Purchasing Organization—often shortened to GPO—negotiates contracts with major brands in thousands of different categories. They have already leveraged and negotiated contracts that allow YOU to take advantage of savings and service. The short version—according to Anthony Clervi—is that they help small or mid-cap businesses buy like the big guys. Most (but not all) GPOs are free to join. You jump on contracts that make sense a-la-carte and work directly with the supplier. Anthony…
Digital Disruption in Procurement with Dr. Elouise Epstein
Dr. Elouise Epstein—a guest on an episode of Negotiations Ninja—is an expert in the world of procurement and supply chain. She specializes in designing digital procurement & supply chain strategies for Fortune 500 companies. In the episode, she talks about the necessity for innovation in procurement. With the seismic shifts that have happened due to the coronavirus crisis, change is imperative. One topic that she goes in-depth on is the need for digital disruption in…
Negotiation and the Realm of AI: The Future is Bright
In episode 155 of the Negotiations Ninja podcast, Martin Rand—the founder and CEO of Pactum AI—joined me to talk about the future of negotiation. More specifically, we touched on how he’s implementing AI to manage long-tail negotiations for large enterprises. But will AI expand? The evolution of AI in negotiation Will AI continue to evolve into something more complex? Will multi-variant negotiations with multiple stakeholders be possible? Martin points out that there are some non-intuitive…
Practical Ways to Decrease the Tension between Procurement and Sales
Procurement and sales teams tend to have a negative view of each other. Salespeople view procurement as the people who take their deals, shave 20% off the top, and subsequently cause them to lose deals. John Barrows, my guest on a recent episode of Negotiations Ninja, and I discuss ways to decrease the tension between these two teams. Engage with procurement as early as possible Instead of waiting until the end of the…