Martin head’s across the Atlantic this episode with a North American panel to discuss how to improve the revolving door in procurement and supply-chain, the impact of COVID-19 in the American market and the increase in content marketing and personal branding within the industry and its importance for job hunters.
Our panel includes:
- Richard Ham – CEO at Fine Tune:
- Sarah Barnes-Humphry – CEO of Shipz – Host of “Lets Talk Supply Chain”
- Mark Raffan – Host of Negotiations Ninja Podcast and Head of Marketing at Content Callout
This episode of Talent Talks covers:
- The art of negotiation
- Handover and CRM management between accounts
- The impact of COVID-19 on the procurement industry in America
- Improving hiring processes
- Content marketing and personal branding in procurement
- The rise of entrepreneurship and innovation
Links & references:
- Martin Smith, Founder & Director of Talent Drive: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsmith2009/
- Richard Ham – CEO at Fine Tune: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-ham-51b38a10/
- Fine Tune: https://www.finetuneus.com/
- Let’s Talk Supply Chain Podcast: https://www.letstalksupplychain.com/
- Negotiations Ninja Podcast: https://www.negotiations.ninja/
- Sarah Barnes-Humphry – CEO of Shipz – Host of “Lets Talk Supply Chain” https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbarnescitp
- Mark Raffan – Host of Negotiations Ninja Podcast and Head of Marketing at Content Callout https://www.linkedin.com/in/markraffan/
- Never split the difference: https://amzn.to/3gu4cmJ
Episode highlights:
“I’ve arrived at this belief that the inevitable turnover within procurement departments, creates moments of acute vulnerability in the lifecycle of any particular expense. Some expenses probably feast on those vulnerabilities more than others” – Richard Ham
“I would say for the vast majority procured Chairman teams, we’re just not really good at tracking historical data on interaction. We’re really good with numbers and data across analysis, but in terms of inter-relational data, and how the relationship has developed and what notes we’re logging, we’re just not putting that in the CRM.” – Mark Raffan
“If you spend your first year on the job learning what the supplier wants to teach you about the categories that you manage, you’re not figuring out the real secrets to effectively managing those categories.” – Richard Ham
“When a buyer leaves to go to another category the knowledge and skills goes with them and then you’re having to retrain that again and reinvent the wheel. And certainly I’ve seen that from a recruitment point of view, and it becomes costly.” – Martin Smith
“COVID totally changed the way that the talent market is shaped essentially. Previously, it was really easy for an employee to move from one job to another now, it’s almost impossible for a lot of people the movements just not there anymore.” – Mark Raffan
“If we can get hiring processes at least into the 20th century, that would be good!” – Sarah Barnes-Humphry
“Now everyone else is catching up. And now everyone else is realising I’ve got to adopt this new technology to remain competitive to remain ahead of the game. Otherwise, I’m going to fall behind and that’s been really cool to see.” – Mark Raffan
“The amount of content that is coming out of supply chain and procurement is amazing, and people are now creating their own paths, and realising that “there might be challenges getting back into the market so where can I put my efforts right now how can I elevate my personal brand?” – Sarah Barnes-Humphry
“The demand for real bottom line results are going to be there. And you’ve got to be a part of the solution. Or else, perhaps you’ll end up being a part of the one third that we talked about earlier that’s looking for new opportunities. You’ve got to establish yourself as a true strategic leader that adds real value for stakeholders and internal customers.” – Richard Ham
“Right now, putting yourself out there is crucial as we go into this new virtual space. Hop onto those virtual events. Be visible, make comments, do live streams, build a network and reach out to people to find common threads. Your voice matters.” – Sarah Barnes-Humphry
“Upskill as much as you can. COVID-19 has changed a lot of habits and demands on what employers are looking for. Personal branding is key – remain competitive, otherwise you’ll become irrelevant.” – Mark Raffan
