You’re a new salesperson. You’re on the hunt for potential customers. And… it’s a struggle to find people willing to accept an appointment with you. Since you either found the name off the internet or asked someone “Who at your company buys left-handed widgets?” and ended up with a name, you find yourself face to face with a denizen of the purchasing department. Purchasing departments come in many sizes, shapes and flavors. Other potential titles might include procurement, sourcing, supplier relationship management, and supply chain management. But make no mistake, these are purchasing people. Back in 2014, I received a great deal of flack for making/publishing this comment (and quoting myself): “Imagine an epic battle. Conjure up a vision of cloven-hooved archfiends dashing the lifeblood of our economy. Think about an ever-escalating conflict with carnage scattered back to the 1970s. Visualize a place where one side knowingly operates under false assumptions and poorly conc...

Purchasing Departments are destroying the World of Good Business… And we can Save the Day Imagine an epic battle. Conjure up a vision of cloven-hooved archfiends dashing the lifeblood of our economy. Think about an ever escalating conflict with carnage scattered back to the 1970s. Visualize a place where one side knowingly operates under false assumptions and poorly conceived ideas skews the direction of whole industries. Am I suffering from a persecution complex? Have I lost my mind? I don’t think so. What’s more, I am about to present some scholarly evidence to support my claim. The claim: Commonly used purchasing practices cause companies to make bad buying decisions. There are tons of articles pointing to price being about number 5 or 6 on most customers' list of priorities. Purchasing agents will wave this stuff around like Old Glory, but I have never bought into the story. Despite all the propaganda to the contrary, experienced salespeople testify; when procu...