A guest blog by Tom Mills, Head of Procurement, Bibby Financial Services Limited
Two of procurement’s main challenges are getting people to work with them and inspiring those starting out in their career to join the profession?
I just wonder how many of us think about the importance of the language we use as we build relationships. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not good at this but I’m determined to change. In fact I think we should all take a look at the way we speak as it’s one of the most powerful tools we have in the procurement world.
I am certain there have been many occasions where I have been in a room full of people, all with varied levels of experience and I’ll mention “we need to go to RFP”. Immediately I will have lost half of the room, I can even see it on their face. Either they’ve never heard the acronym RFP, they’ve heard it many times before but have been afraid of asking what it means or they’re just bored by the inevitable procurement jargon they know you are about to spout.
How about we all just take things back to basics and truly apply KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid) to the way we talk to others. One of the most powerful tools I use to explain procurement effectiveness is to make the process relatable to everyday life. For example, comparing the need for three comparative quotes to if you are buying yourself a new kitchen. Or maybe it’s the warranty you’d expect on a dishwasher you’ve just purchased. All things that anyone can relate to.
All procurement is the same and there is no reason why we should speak differently in the work environment to how we do at home. I don’t expect to turn around to my wife next time we look to book a holiday and say “let’s do an RFI”? So, why not apply the same language in business. How about we just say “let’s see what options are out there and decide?”
Have we all just become too familiar with our own Procurement Speak to forget that it creates all the advantages of an exclusive club and all the disadvantages associated when we are trying to get others to like us?
Does it give us a feeling of comfort that we somehow have a superior skillset and knowledge that not everyone in business will understand? Or is the language we use one of the key reasons we may struggle to build effective partnerships across all levels of the organisation?
Here’s some ideas to get this going of how I intend to change my language.
- Instead of RFI, why not just say “we’ll see what’s out there”
- Instead of RFP/ RFQ, why not just say “we’ll get some prices”?
- Instead of Tender process, why not just say “let’s compare costs”?
- Instead of ITY savings, why not say “money saved this year”
- Instead of Greenfield Procurement, why not say “setting up a new function”
I’m going to try my this week to move all of my language back to plain English. I’ll bet it won’t change my procurement effectiveness and who knows, maybe people will enjoy working with me more?
And while we’re at it? Instead of saying “I’m going to reach out to someone”, how about just saying “I’ll give them a call”. And let’s not talk about “stakeholder engagement”, instead “building relationships”.
Let’s keep it simple, let’s use plain English and let’s all just make Procurement a warmer function to work with.
