Archive for April, 2016

Are you and your Pest Control provider partners?

Friday, April 29th, 2016

 

Today’s post is by Ryan Melowic; VP of Customer Services at SafeSourcing.

According to Gregory Pest Solutions, “Working in partnership with a pest control provider, clients’ shared responsibilities fall into three areas. First is the maintenance of high standards of sanitation, which includes thorough cleaning on a regular schedule.  Secondly, communication of pest sightings and documentation in the Pest Sighting Log is a key part of the success of any program.  Thirdly, if any preparations, repairs, or the need to arrange for special access to areas is required prior to treatment, it is the client’s responsibility to make sure that these contingencies are taken care of.

The responsibility of the pest control providers’ personnel also falls into three categories. First, they will thoroughly inspect the facility to determine if pest issues exist. Monitoring of these areas will be provided, as well as documentation of location and type of any pest issues. Secondly they will develop treatment strategies that utilize the least amount of the least toxic material available to control pest issues.  Thirdly, they will provide up to date, complete documentation and information for the facility.  If any sanitation issues or structural deficiencies are noted during the inspection, it will be noted on the service report.”

SafeSourcing has a wealth of knowledge on pest control sourcing. For more information on how we can help you with your procurement needs or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative. We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.

We look forward to your comments.

 

 

Are you ready for entrepreneurship in your business?

Wednesday, April 27th, 2016

 

Today’s post is by Christine McConnell, Account Manager at SafeSourcing

Being an entrepreneur is not easy. Having team members that are Intrepreneurs (in house entrepreneurs) may be just as important to your company’s success.

Here’s a short quiz to get you thinking:

  • While working as part of a team, do you fade back or step up to the foreground?
    • I like to consider all input but would rather lead
    • I prefer being one of several leaders
    • I am always the leader
  • Are you a risk taker?
    • After I’ve done my research
    • No way Jose
    • Bring it on I’ll try anything
  • How easily do you get stressed out?
    • I only stress under real pressure
    • Every little thing can freak me out
    • I never let ‘em see me sweat
  • What are your views on competition?
    • Crush them
    • Ignore them
    • Collaborate with them
  • What is your main motivation?
    • I have a product/service that is new to the market space
    • I want to get rich quick
    • I’ve always dreamed of being my own boss
  • How do you handle rejection?
    • If it’s not happening I’ll throw in the towel
    • I never give up… it’s a numbers game
    • I go back to the drawing board
  • What is the key to success?
    • Luck: being in the right space at the right time
    • Having the best product /business plan
    • It’s all about passion and persistence
  • What is your money management style?
    • Just call me Frugal Frannie
    • Hey Big Spender
    • It’s a struggle but I‘m working on it
  • What is your work style?
    • I am real worker bee
    • I pride myself on working smarter not harder
    • Party on Garth
  • Do you believe in luck?
    • Yes I do (fingers crossed)
    • I believe that you create your own luck
    • I think that you can be prepared for “lucky” opportunities

So how do you score the quiz? You simply think long and hard about your answers, examine your work style and motivations, and look deep into your heart because at the end of the day only YOU can decide if you’re ready to commit to entrepreneurship. Be completely honest about your responses. Ask yourself: why do I truly want to be an entrepreneur? Again, there is no correct answer. However if you answered “I’m a big spender who wants to get rich quick” then you could be in it for the wrong reasons. Becoming an entrepreneur is one of the most challenging life goals you’ll ever take on, so having the right motivation to get you through the tough times will be crucial. Good luck out there!

Interested in learning how SafeSourcing can help your company run more efficiently? Like to try a risk free trial? Please don’t hesitate to contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative. Our team is ready and available to assist you!

 

Self- Awareness in Your Business

Tuesday, April 26th, 2016

 

 

Today’s post is written by Heather Powell, Director of Customer Service & Project Manager at SafeSourcing Inc.

In my first blog, “What is Emotional Intelligence? Why It Should Matter in Any Business?”, I identified what emotional intelligence (EQ) is and how it applies to any business. In my second blog, “Emotional Intelligence in Action”, I explain the What, How, and Why the competencies of EQ work.  In my third blog, “Five Components of Emotional Intelligence and Your Business” I gave the basic definition of the five components of emotional intelligence. In this installation, I will provide a deeper explanation of Self-Awareness and how it applies to you as a leader and your business.

1). Self-awareness. The ability to recognize and understand personal moods and emotions and drives, as well as their effect on others.1

A self-aware person who knows that tight deadlines bring out the worst in him plans his time carefully and gets his work done well in advance. Another person with high self-awareness will be able to work with a demanding client. They will understand the client’s impact on their moods and the deeper reasons for their frustration. People with high self-awareness are able to speak accurately and openly—although not necessarily effusively or confessional—about their emotions and the impact they have on their work.

An example:2

Jordan is a negotiator. He has an important position in the procurement division of his company. He has to purchase 30,000 new gizmos for an important piece of equipment his company produces. He has been in negotiations with two key sellers. Seller A sells the gizmos at a unit price of $15.00, Seller B at $13.00. After several meetings with both sellers, Jordan notices that he always feels energized when he has met with Seller A- the meetings just seem to fly by. In contrast, he always comes away from meetings with Seller B feeling drained and with an uncomfortable, nervous feeling in his stomach. After much thought, Jordan persuades himself to ignore the feelings and to the rational thing; go for Seller B with the cheaper unit price: “This is business after all.”

For several weeks after the decision Jordan continued to feel uncomfortable and anxious about the new supplier. After three months of cooperation the supplier stopped replying to Jordan’s calls and, eventually, when Jordan manages to track him down, explained that they were experiencing staffing problems and would not be able to meet the supply of the gizmos for the next two months.

One thing is certain here: Jordan failed to listen to his emotional brain or intuition. Trust is an important value to Jordan and his intuition was telling him that there was something about Seller B he did not trust. Jordan chose to ignore these clear signals and ended up paying the price.

By developing our Emotional Intelligence in the five EQ domains we can become more productive and successful at what we do, and help others to be more productive and successful too. The process and outcomes of Emotional Intelligence development also contain many elements known to reduce stress for individuals and organizations, by decreasing conflict, improving relationships and understanding, and increasing stability, continuity and harmony.3

Please stay tuned for the next blog on how self- regulation can help you and your business.

We enjoy bringing this blog to you every week and hope you find value in it. For more information on how we can help you with your procurement needs or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative. We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.

We look forward to your comments.

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References:

  1. http://inspirebusinesssolutions.com/blog/5-main-components-of-emotional-intelligence
  2. Neale, S., Spencer-Arnell, L., & Wilson, L. (2011). Emotional Intelligence Coaching: Improving Performance for Leaders, Coaches, and the Individual. Philadelphia, PA: Kogan Page (p 106).
  3. http://www.businessballs.com/eq.htm

Five Components of Emotional Intelligence and Your Business

Friday, April 22nd, 2016

 

Today’s post is written by Heather Powell, Director of Customer Service & Project Manager at SafeSourcing Inc.

In my first blog, “What is Emotional Intelligence? Why It Should Matter in Any Business?”, I identified what emotional intelligence (EQ) is and how it applies to any business. In my second blog, “Emotional Intelligence in Action”, I explain the What, How, and Why the competencies of EQ work.  In this third blog, I will give a quick explanation of the five components of emotional intelligence, and in the next series of blogs, I will present a more thorough breakdown of each and how they apply to businesses and procurement.

I must explain that the five components listed below were developed by Daniel Goleman, a science journalist who brought “emotional intelligence” on the bestseller list as an author of a number of books including “Emotional Intelligence”, “Working with Emotional Intelligence”, “Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships”, “Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence” and most recently “A Force for Good” The Dalai Lama Vision of Our World”.1

These are the five components of EQ and their most basic definitions. Also, I have identified the hallmarks of each; a hallmark is a sure sign.

1). Self-awareness. The ability to recognize and understand personal moods and emotions and drives, as well as their effect on others.2

a.) Hallmarks of self-awareness include self-confidence, realistic self-assessment, and a self-deprecating sense of humor. Self-awareness depends on one’s ability to monitor one’s own emotion state and to correctly identify and name one’s emotions.1

2). Self-regulation. The ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods, and the propensity to suspend judgment and to think before acting.1

a.) Hallmarks include trustworthiness and integrity; comfort with ambiguity; and openness to change.1

3). Internal motivation. A passion to work for internal reasons that go beyond money and status -which are external rewards, – such as an inner vision of what is important in life, a joy in doing something, curiosity in learning, a flow that comes with being immersed in an activity. A propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence. 1,2

a.) Hallmarks include a strong drive to achieve, optimism even in the face of failure, and organizational commitment.1

4). Empathy. The ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people. A skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions.1

a.) Hallmarks include expertise in building and retaining talent, cross-cultural sensitivity, and service to clients and customers.1

5). Social skills. Identifying social cues to establish common ground manage relationships and build networks.2

a.) Hallmarks of social skills include effectiveness in leading change, persuasiveness, and expertise building and leading teams. Additional traits are Communication: Listening and responding appropriately, Influence and Leadership: The ability to guide and inspire others, and Conflict Management: The ability to diffuse difficult situations using persuasion and negotiation.1,2

By developing our Emotional Intelligence in these areas and the five EQ domains we can become more productive and successful at what we do, and help others to be more productive and successful too. The process and outcomes of Emotional Intelligence development also contain many elements known to reduce stress for individuals and organizations, by decreasing conflict, improving relationships and understanding, and increasing stability, continuity and harmony.3

Please stay tuned for the next blog on how self-awareness can help you and your business.

We enjoy bringing this blog to you every week and hope you find value in it. For more information on how we can help you with your procurement needs or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative. We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.

We look forward to your comments.

_______________________________________________________

References:

  1. https://www.sonoma.edu/users/s/swijtink/teaching/philosophy_101/paper1/goleman.htm
  2. http://inspirebusinesssolutions.com/blog/5-main-components-of-emotional-intelligence
  3. http://www.businessballs.com/eq.htm

Motivation for a Month

Wednesday, April 20th, 2016

 

Struggling with motivation at work happens, so how can you inspire others in your company?

Today’s blog is by Margaret Stewart, Executive Assistant at SafeSourcing.

Regardless which industry you work, an employee’s drive can falter at times. This is a prime opportunity to lead workers toward higher aspirations and meaningful work experiences. With proper inspiration, workers tend to have higher job satisfaction and better performance. One great way to encourage the best from employees is to genuinely motivate them.

Motivational quotes, stories, and memes are a great way to encourage your team and are more than prevalent across the web, but how many actually speak to you? Below are encouraging quotes for each day of the month that may help not only with your motivation, but also to motivate those around you.

  1. Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway. – John Wayne
  2. A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business. – Henry Ford
  3. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. – Napoleon Hill
  4. Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. – Winston Churchill
  5. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. – Steve Jobs
  6. People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success. – Norman Vincent Peale
  7. Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. – Henry Ford
  8. I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. – Thomas A. Edison
  9. Have a very good reason for everything you do. – Laurence Olivier
  10. One finds limits by pushing them. – Herbert Simon
  11. Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. – Will Rogers
  12. The successful man is the one who finds out what is the matter with his business before his competitors do. – Roy L. Smith
  13. Hire character. Train skill. – Peter Schutz
  14. For maximum attention, nothing beats a good mistake. – Unknown
  15. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose. – Dr. Seuss
  16. It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin
  17. Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. – Thomas Edison
  18. People are best convinced by things they themselves discover. – Ben Franklin
  19. If it really was a no–brainer to make it on your own in business there’d be millions of no–brained, harebrained, and otherwise dubiously brained individuals quitting their day jobs and hanging out their own shingles. Nobody would be left to round out the workforce and execute the business plan. – Bill Rancic
  20. Anyone who has lost track of time when using a computer knows the propensity to dream, the urge to make dreams come true and the tendency to miss lunch. – Tim Berners-Lee
  21. When you feel like quitting, think about why you started. – Unknown
  22. Never give up. Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine. – Jack Ma
  23. Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. – Bill Gates
  24. We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in. – Arianna Huffington
  25. Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it. – Henry David Thoreau
  26. A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. – David Brinkley
  27. What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise. – Oscar Wilde
  28. All progress takes place outside the comfort zone. – Michael John Bobak
  29. Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending. – Carl Bard
  30. Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down. – Charles F. Kettering
  31. If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much. – Jim Rohn

The quotes above may speak to different people differently, so we would like to hear some of your favorite motivational quotes or stories. If you have any motivational trouble in your purchasing and procurement departments, or are interested in our Risk Free trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative. We have an entire team ready to assist you today

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http://epreneur.tv/motivational-business-quotes/

http://www.servendesign.com/motivational-business-quotes/

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/75-inspiring-motivational-quotes-about-success.html

 

Do you need help with your lawn care and other landscaping needs?

Monday, April 18th, 2016

 

Today’s post is by Troy Lowe; Vice President of Development at SafeSourcing.

They say, April showers bring May flowers, but what we all know is they also bring lots of weeds. With the weather warming up and all of the spring showers you can expect your lawn to contain a fair amount of weeds unless it is well maintained.  There are things that can be done to prevent them from taking over your lawn.  Proper lawn care can lower the amount of weeds and help you maintain a beautiful lawn.  When your lawn is not doing well, it is prone to be overtaken by weeds.  Some things you can do to help are mowing to the proper height, applying the right amount of water and proper feeding.  Mowing to the proper height ensures that the grass stays healthy and allows it to shade the ground, keeping it cooler and making it much harder for the weeds to grow.  When watering the lawn, the trick is to water it deeply and intermittently.  It’s usually best to water the lawn early in the morning or in the evening depending on what part of the region you are located.  Feeding the lawn with the proper fertilizer and herbicide will help minimize the amount of weeds.  Using the correct herbicide depends on the type of weed and multiple herbicides may be needed to ensure a weed-free lawn.  Below is a list of common weeds that can be found in most lawns.

Common Types of Weeds

  • Chickweed
  • Common Purslane
  • Crabgrass
  • Dandelion
  • Ground Ivy
  • Prickly Lettuce
  • White or Dutch Clover

If you need help maintaining your lawns and other landscaping needs this season, we can gather all the necessary information for you and help you decide which options meet your needs. If you would like more information on how SafeSourcing can help you, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative.  We have an entire team ready to assist you today.

We look forward to your comments.

Business Etiquette 101- E-mail Signature Line

Friday, April 15th, 2016

 

Today’s post is written by Heather Powell, Director of the Customer Focus Team & Project Manager at SafeSourcing Inc.

Do you ever find yourself frustrated at trying to find a contacts phone number from an e-mail and all you see is a name? No proper sign off, let alone a signature file?

A signature file is fairly simple to create in your e-mail system, and there are many YouTube videos on the internet to walk you through step-by-step how to create it. There various types of signatures you can create, i.e. Standard, Reply, Personal, and more.

The standard signature should be your default and come up automatically when starting a new e-mail.

Start your signature with a proper sign off, such as Thank you, Best Regards, Regards, or Sincerely. By starting the signature with a proper sign off, it is automatic in the email and one less thing to think of when creating

  1. Add your name, if you have a common name then include your middle initial, and of course any post-nominal initials.
  2. Add your full job title.
  3. Add your full company name. Include Inc., LLC, or Corporation.
  4. Add your direct phone number.
  5. Optional Cell phone number.
  6. Add your full website, including the http://

This simple addition to your e-mail will give you a more professional appearance and be greatly appreciated by those reading it and wishing to contact you.

Are you interest in learning more about SafeSourcing and how we can help your company? SafeSourcing can assist you in exploring your procurement solutions for your business or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative.  We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.

We look forward to your comments.

 

 

 

What’s your BHAG?

Wednesday, April 13th, 2016

 

 

Today’s post is by Michael Figueroa, Project Manager at SafeSourcing

A BHAG (pronounced bee-hag) is a statement regarding your company’s strategy that may be too extreme for an external audience, but inspiring and directional for those conducting everyday business. The term was originally coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their book Built to Last[1], as a tool for achieving long term strategic goals. Used properly, a BHAG can be a powerful way to communicate the ambition of the company, and align the efforts of a team. But what make up the components of this statement?

A BHAG must be:

  • Inspiring: Emotionally compelling, motivational to the team
  • Attainable: Difficult enough to be audacious, but not so impossible that no one will attempt it. “Out of reach but not out of sight” as the old maxim goes.
  • Company appropriate: Aligns with your mission and core competencies
  • Long term: 10-30 years, or unless your organization exists to solve a certain problem within a certain timeframe.

Some examples of publicized BHAGs:

  • Susan G. Komen for the Cure: A world without breast cancer.
  • Amazon: Our vision is to be earth’s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.
  • Microsoft: A computer on every desk and in every home
  • John F. Kennedy: Land a man on the moon by the end of this decade and return him safely

Collins and Porras also recommended that a company develop its BHAG while in its infancy rather than wait for it to reach a mature size in order to help the company stay focused in its crucial developing years. Your organization needs to be adaptive of course; however its core reason for existing should not. Throughout the life of your organization, many targets of opportunity will arise, but identifying your BHAG in your professional or personal life will help you keep on course.

For more information on how SafeSourcing can assist your team with this process or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative.  We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.

[1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Built_to_Last:_Successful_Habits_of_Visionary_Companies>

Make sure that you are not being shunned by your procurement team!

Friday, April 8th, 2016

The numbers of words that end in TION are in the thousands . According to Wikipedia to be shunned is to modify the behavior of a member. Another definition that probably better suits the purposes of this post is from Wiktionary is, the act by which something is shunned; avoidance.

The reason for my play on words (SHUN versus TION) is to call attention to a similar practice of continually offering objections to processes that are advanced, modern and return greater results than more traditional procurement methodologies. Think of it as a form of enlightenment, which in its own right caused a lot of the other type of shunning over the course of history.

You might even call these OBJECTIONS. Have you ever heard any of these?
1. We don’t believe in Reverse AUTIONS
2. This process does not support our TRADITIONS
3. We only have one or two OPTIONS
4. We have no SPECIFICATIONS
5. They don’t understand our CONFIGURATION
6. We have never been good at COLLABORATION
7. We already know how to get the best QUOTATION
8. We have the best prices in the NATION
9. We are under no OBLIGATION
10. We already have a handle on the best VALUATION
11. You can not guarantee our SATISFACTION
12. We know what we are doing and don’t need any procurement EVOLUTIONTION
13. This is nothing more than useless IMPROVOSATION
14. We won’t get better pricing just by  category CONSOLIDATION

There will always be people on your team that fight progress, don’t let them TION you. If you’d like someone to change your PERCEPTION, call a SafeSourcing customer services representative of an INTRODUCTION.

We look forward to and appreciative your comments

What is “Scope”?

Thursday, April 7th, 2016

 

Today’s post is from Michael Figueroa Manager of Customer Services at SafeSourcing.

The practice of defining scope is a narrowing of focus, taking certain concepts and pulling them to the forefront, all the while forcing everything else to take a back seat. Creating your scope, by definition, means excluding those things that do not fit within the core competences of your project, mission, goals, or whatever context you are operating within.  If you could take a picture of your scope, you might see it represented by a tunnel vision focus on a certain object. Take away that tunnel and you see the periphery, and if your scope was developed well, you’ll look at the peripheral objects and say to yourself “Ya, these things are irrelevant to my project, let’s narrow our focus”.

When your procurement projects don’t accurately understand what’s relevant to the initiative, you risk diluting its full value potential.  If you’re attempting to source “Ground Beef”, but your focus is so wide that you are asking questions more indicative of a scope of “Beef Products”, you will get information irrelevant to your project, while also confusing your potential suppliers. What you exclude in the scope of your project is just as important as what you include, because having too wide a view will just muddy the waters and make it harder to see your real savings opportunities.

Media reference: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Tunnel_vision_sc.png/240px-Tunnel_vision_sc.png

No is not a four letter word, and in many cases saying yes for too many inputs is not a value-add. Your inclusions/exclusions must speak to your core competencies and context of goals/projects. What you say NO to in terms of your informational inputs is just as important as what you say YES to. The concept of “economies of scope” is not best served in procurement projects. You want your information to be exclusive to what is relevant to your procurement project, which by definition means some things need to be excluded.

This is why we at SafeSourcing work with both you and the vendor community to understand the industry your project operates within through our well-developed RFI/RFP processes. We clearly define our clients goals, and get in-depth feedback from the vendors so that we can ask the relevant questions. Allow us to fuse your needs with our skill to focus on what drives value for your procurement projects.