Want to get promoted? Eliminate these same old tired objections.

April 8th, 2014

Are you wondering why so many retail companies are still using the same tired excuses and not enjoying the significant benefits of reverse auctions today?

The following are the all too common objections we hear daily from procurement knowledge workers that both have and have not been exposed to e-negotiation tools in the past.

1.?We already get the best cost.
2.?We?ve done business with our supplier for years.
3.?We don?t have product specifications.
4.?We don?t have time for this.
5.?Switching costs will be too high.
6.?We can?t insure the same quality.
7.?We need to adhere to certain standards.

If you don?t feel that these benefits would support both corporate goals and underlying CSR initiatives, give us a call and we?ll make you a hero and get you promoted.

We look forward to and appreciate your comments

Posted in , | Comments Off on Want to get promoted? Eliminate these same old tired objections.

Smartphones – Untapped Channels for Better Customer Service

April 7th, 2014

Is your retail organization tapping in the millions of web-enabled devices that enter retail establishments every day?

Today’s post is by Mark Davis; Sr. Vice President and COO at SafeSourcing. 

In an January interview with Deloitte vice chairman and U.S. Retail and Distribution leader, Alison Kenney Paul, one of the hot topics for Retailers in 2014 will be how they begin to leverage the millions of devices their consumers are using every day in order to provide better customer service and drive additional sales in a way that keeps them focused on what they really want to achieve rather than reacting to any change in the technology world.

Determine the goal – With new technology it can be easy to get caught up into what’s new and what’s different and lose site of the goals of the company.  Increased sales, better customer service, reduction in loss, reduction in expenses, increased traffic in the store are all good goals which companies should already have established as part of their annual planning.  Technology and leveraging customers’ smart devices can help with any/all of these goals but the key is to determine where the company has the greatest need.   If you are a smaller retailer competing with larger National retailers, the main goal may be to maintain your current customer base through competitive deals and better customer service.  Driving sales through targeted discounts and marketing may be the goal of someone.  Whatever the top organization goals are; lock those down as the baseline for how to investigate the use of this technology.

Understand the options – With established goals set, finding ways to begin leveraging the technology to achieve those goals is the next step.  For many companies this means beginning the research for solutions and partners that can help them achieve what they want.  Outside of searching on the internet, some of the best ways to see what some of these new solutions are by going to industry trade shows, attending webinars or speaking with 3rd party consultants who work with digital media and messaging to consumer smart phones every day.  Some will have tools of their own and others will be able to provide the guidance needed to take the next steps.  Many times conducting an RFI to help fill in some of the holes can be an excellent next step.

Find the best solution – With goals and an understanding of the options to achieve those goals the final step is find the best possible solution to complete the objectives.  This is generally when a formal Request For Proposal takes place and the business provides the detailed information of what they want to achieve to the suppliers that can provide solutions and/or services to help them do that.  Many options such as in-store blue tooth beacons that can push discounts and coupons to consumer phones that have signed up with the store, to in-store assistants that allow phone apps to show shoppers where a product is and if it is in stock have been released or being tested to take advantage of the technology that is already there.  The goal for all of these suppliers is to show and convince the customer of the ROI and how long it will take to achieve.

For more information on how SafeSourcing can assist with researching these types of solutions, conducting Requests For Information/Proposal 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.

Posted in | Comments Off on Smartphones – Untapped Channels for Better Customer Service

Smartphones ? Untapped Channels for Better Customer Service

April 7th, 2014

Is your retail organization tapping in the millions of web-enabled devices that enter retail establishments every day?

Today?s post is by Mark Davis; Sr. Vice President and COO at SafeSourcing.?

In an January interview with Deloitte vice chairman and U.S. Retail and Distribution leader, Alison Kenney Paul, one of the hot topics for Retailers in 2014 will be how they begin to leverage the millions of devices their consumers are using every day in order to provide better customer service and drive additional sales in a way that keeps them focused on what they really want to achieve rather than reacting to any change in the technology world.

Determine the goal ? With new technology it can be easy to get caught up into what?s new and what?s different and lose site of the goals of the company.? Increased sales, better customer service, reduction in loss, reduction in expenses, increased traffic in the store are all good goals which companies should already have established as part of their annual planning.? Technology and leveraging customers? smart devices can help with any/all of these goals but the key is to determine where the company has the greatest need.?? If you are a smaller retailer competing with larger National retailers, the main goal may be to maintain your current customer base through competitive deals and better customer service.? Driving sales through targeted discounts and marketing may be the goal of someone.? Whatever the top organization goals are; lock those down as the baseline for how to investigate the use of this technology.

Understand the options ? With established goals set, finding ways to begin leveraging the technology to achieve those goals is the next step.? For many companies this means beginning the research for solutions and partners that can help them achieve what they want.? Outside of searching on the internet, some of the best ways to see what some of these new solutions are by going to industry trade shows, attending webinars or speaking with 3rd party consultants who work with digital media and messaging to consumer smart phones every day.? Some will have tools of their own and others will be able to provide the guidance needed to take the next steps.? Many times conducting an RFI to help fill in some of the holes can be an excellent next step.

Find the best solution ? With goals and an understanding of the options to achieve those goals the final step is find the best possible solution to complete the objectives.? This is generally when a formal Request For Proposal takes place and the business provides the detailed information of what they want to achieve to the suppliers that can provide solutions and/or services to help them do that.? Many options such as in-store blue tooth beacons that can push discounts and coupons to consumer phones that have signed up with the store, to in-store assistants that allow phone apps to show shoppers where a product is and if it is in stock have been released or being tested to take advantage of the technology that is already there.? The goal for all of these suppliers is to show and convince the customer of the ROI and how long it will take to achieve.

For more information on how SafeSourcing can assist with researching these types of solutions, conducting Requests For Information/Proposal 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.

Posted in | Comments Off on Smartphones ? Untapped Channels for Better Customer Service

When does demand dictate it is time for a spot buy versus standard replenishment?

April 4th, 2014

Weather and other natural disasters can dictate that the opportunity is right for a spot buy even when you already have a contract in place?

Believe it or not I recently visited a store of a major retailer?whose shelves looked just like this (not this picture) but unfortunately looked much the same.?To me that?equals a broken procurement department, a broken supply chain and maybe even a broken company?as well as ?a huge opportunity for a huge?spot buy with local suppliers if they want to resolve the issue quickly. The actual name and location are being?omitted here?to protect the guilty.

Posted in | Comments Off on When does demand dictate it is time for a spot buy versus standard replenishment?

Go LED and Save Energy, Money, and Time

April 2nd, 2014

Switching over from fluorescent bulbs to LED bulbs can definitely save you energy, money, and time.

Today?s guest post is from Sarah Kouse an account manager at SafeSourcing.

Switching over from fluorescent bulbs to LED bulbs can definitely save you energy, money, and time. In this blog post, I will explain the reasons why it will save you energy, money, and time just by making the switch.

First, switching from a fluorescent bulb to LED on average saves nearly half the wattage that normally would be used. For example, a High-Output fluorescent bulb that uses 54 watts of power, using an LED Tube (fluorescent replacement) bulb, it uses around 36 watts of power.

Not only do LED bulbs use less power, but they also last longer, they don?t flicker when they are about to burn out, don?t have to ?warm-up?, and they don?t get hot while being used as well.

Typically fluorescent bulbs last up to around 20,000-30,000 hours and an LED bulb lasts up to around 50,000-60,000 hours. This will not only save you money because you won?t have to change them as often, but it will also save you time because you won?t have to change them as often.

Switching a fluorescent light fixture to LED is a simple retrofitting process and the cost is very low for the overall outcome you will receive switching to LED.

Yes, LED bulbs are ultimately more expensive at the initial purchase, but the perks of saving money on the electric bill, saving energy and helping the environment, saving money with not having to purchase bulbs as frequently, saving time by not having to change the bulbs as frequently, and just the overall features of the LED bulbs, make it a huge savings and better value.

Contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative today to see how SafeSourcing can help source your switch to a ?Greener? alternative.

We look forward to and appreciate your comments.

Posted in | Comments Off on Go LED and Save Energy, Money, and Time

E-Procurement at ProcureCon Canada 2014: Capturing Money Left On The Table!

April 1st, 2014

Senior Executives; do you think that your procurement team is getting the best cost available to you? Well Hold On!

Todays post is provided?courtesy of?Mr. Eugene Duynstee, President of KPM Enterprises Inc.

The following content was presented by: Eugene Duynstee, President of KPM Enterprises Inc. and Ron Southard, CEO of SafeSourcing Inc. at the ProcureCon Canada Conference 2014 which was attended by a number of Canada?s Senior Procurement Professionals

All too frequently procurement professionals faced with negotiation with incumbent suppliers are being told:

?? ?? We always give you our best price
?? ?? Our products/ services are unique ? no one else can do what we do
?? ?? No one else knows your business as well as we do and would look after you the way we do

If you sense these are not true, you would be right. The result?? ?Money is left on the table?.

The dilemma: You? have a lot on your plate, and there is often pressure from above to just ?stick with the incumbent?, but your responsibility is to garner the best cost for the required quality and service, so what do you do?????

Take the easy path, or the right path? How do you capture?? the ?money left on the table??

The answer: You need to find a way to dramatically improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your buying process. This is what will lead to success:

?? ?? Consider more vendors: double the number of eager vendors wanting your business
?? ?? Develop a more efficient RFP process:? process 3-5 X the # of RFP?s in the same amount of time.
?? ?? Level the playing field for vendors competing for your business: don?t allow one vendor to have undue influence
?? ?? Expand the scope of information: provides you with a better assessment based on quality and service, as well as price.
?? ?? Conduct an e-auction: this has been proven to establish the best price from vendors

Where do you find this? All the e-procurement tools necessary to realize this innovative buying process are currently in use, and are readily available and supported by a capable and experienced procurement partner.

What makes e-procurement easy to use?

?? ?? The process is structured and automated
?? ?? It provides instant access to extensive pool of supplier and product information
?? ?? It does not require your IT group
?? ?? It is led by a partner that does 80% of the work

What does an eProcurement partner provide to you?

?? ?? Detailed, comprehensive specifications
?? ?? Extensive vendor data base
?? ?? Easy to use, flexible software
?? ?? Remote access (cloud based)
?? ?? Vendor training
?? ?? In-depth category expertise
?? ?? And importantly, a no risk trial to get you started and comfortable

What results can you expect?

?? ?? Save an additional 15-25% on your costs
?? ?? Deliver an ROI 10 ? 15X the investment
?? ?? Increase your impact on the business
?? ?? And most importantly, the ?money left on the table? is captured!

If you’d like to learn more about how easy it can be to capture money that you ARE leaving on the table, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Services Representative.

We look forward to and appreciate your comments!

 

Posted in | Comments Off on E-Procurement at ProcureCon Canada 2014: Capturing Money Left On The Table!

Is an RFI your solution to the legacy product headache?

March 27th, 2014

How much does early upgrading cost you each year?

Today?s post is by Steve Schwerin, account manager here at SafeSourcing.

How much does early upgrading cost you each year? There once was a day when products lasted years, and there was little visible change in many industries. However, with slight changes in technology these days, the product which lasted years becomes obsolete. We have become used to this message from service providers handing over our older, operable product and our cash in exchange for assurances that the new product would be supported while the old would not. Certainly, it is often time to move to newer equipment along with everyone else in the industry, but do companies really have you in mind when they force an upgrade? Are you happy with your equipment which seems to last like a quality product should, but can?t afford for it to be out of service for any period of time when it does fail? If so, you are in a tough position if your long-standing service provider tells you the equipment has reached End of Life. There are probably excellent service providers who still offer support to your product. Finding one and being assured that the transition will not cost you more than just going with the flow can be tough. A simple way to address this may be with a Request for information (RFI).

Put simply, we here at SafeSourcing

? Identify vendors from our SafeSourceIT supplier database
? Derive questions from our knowledge of the industry
? Use our systems to provide the best execution in a timely manner

The RFI then sets you up for a successful Request for Quote (RFQ) in which the vendors, who are now qualified, can bid on a service that has been well defined. The result is often a short list of vendors who you can then interview to see which one best fits your company culture. You can award business not based on merely price, but with confidence that your new service provider is well suited to deliver the services they bid on in the RFQ. This entire process can easily pay for itself in a few months in which your legacy hardware remains in service instead of heading for an eRecycling bin ahead of its time.

Contact a customer service representative here at SafeSourcing at 1-888-261-9070 to find out how we can help you address your legacy hardware needs.

We look forward to and appreciate your comments.

Posted in | Comments Off on Is an RFI your solution to the legacy product headache?

SafeSourcing’s entire Software Suite is a CLOUD based SaaS solution family.

March 26th, 2014

We know our competition is not keeping up with us in either function or price?

It’s a brave new world and changing every day. Solutions take less time to get to market due the open source alternatives to traditional development methodologies. The fact is you simply do not need the IT staff from the past to develop and support applications today. And that is why you can buy what you need  when you need it for less than any other company in the procure to pay space from SafeSourcing. If you want to run a single project or automate your entire procurement function, let’s talk.

SafeSourcing recently released our Procure to Pay Suite of applications under the SafeSourceIt™ banner as follows.

1. SafeSourceIt™ eRFX tools including Reverse Auctions
2. SafeSurvey™
3. SafeContract™
4. SafePO™
5. SafeCatalogue™
6. SafeSourceIt™ Global Supplier Database
7. SafeSourceIt™  Product and Services Specification Library

All of the above solutions are offered as a SaaS based cloud offering and can stand alone or function as a sophisticated integrated solution. Customers can buy and use what they need when they need it at the lowest costs in the industry

If you’d like to learn more about our tools or our customers please contact a SafeSourcing customer services representative.

We look forward to and appreciate your comments.

Posted in , , | Comments Off on SafeSourcing’s entire Software Suite is a CLOUD based SaaS solution family.

What does it mean when a holiday also becomes a brand such as St. Patrick’s Day

March 25th, 2014

What began as a religious feast day for patron saint of Ireland.....

Today’s post is by Ryan Melowic; Vice President of Customer Services at SafeSourcing

What began as a religious feast day for patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival. We celebrate with parades, food, dancing, parties and GREEN!

St. Patrick’s Day has become associated with green, gold, shamrocks, luck, and Irish food dishes. With every holiday there are items and themes associated with them, but it does not stop at holidays.

Companies have a brand, and establishing the brand may be the easiest part. How do you sustain the brand and cut cost is the question? Your customer is your judge and knowing your customer base is important in this process. When you are purchasing a product, this will effect what your company will be associated with.

When sourcing a product or service, and possibly selecting a new vendor, many questions and concerns come to mind.

  • What is the sustainability of this company?
  • Will the quality be to your company’s standards?
  • Is the product helping your companies “green” initiative?

When running an eProcurement event, it may be a concern how these things will be handled. How can you capture this information online? SafeSourcing has many tools to capture information about the companies experience and overall value to your company. We understand price alone is not the final deciding factor. Let us “meet” with potential customers through an online RFI/RFP. We also have the ability to facilitate samples from select suppliers to keep your company’s brand to the standards you expect.

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.

Posted in | Comments Off on What does it mean when a holiday also becomes a brand such as St. Patrick’s Day

What does it mean when a holiday also becomes a brand such as St. Patrick?s Day

March 25th, 2014

What began as a religious feast day for patron saint of Ireland.....

Today?s post is by Ryan Melowic; Vice President of Customer Services at SafeSourcing

What began as a religious feast day for patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival. We celebrate with parades, food, dancing, parties and GREEN!

St. Patrick?s Day has become associated with green, gold, shamrocks, luck, and Irish food dishes. With every holiday there are items and themes associated with them, but it does not stop at holidays.

Companies have a brand, and establishing the brand may be the easiest part. How do you sustain the brand and cut cost is the question? Your customer is your judge and knowing your customer base is important in this process. When you are purchasing a product, this will effect what your company will be associated with.

When sourcing a product or service, and possibly selecting a new vendor, many questions and concerns come to mind.

  • What is the sustainability of this company?
  • Will the quality be to your company?s standards?
  • Is the product helping your companies ?green? initiative?

When running an eProcurement event, it may be a concern how these things will be handled. How can you capture this information online? SafeSourcing has many tools to capture information about the companies experience and overall value to your company. We understand price alone is not the final deciding factor. Let us ?meet? with potential customers through an online RFI/RFP. We also have the ability to facilitate samples from select suppliers to keep your company?s brand to the standards you expect.

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.

Posted in | Comments Off on What does it mean when a holiday also becomes a brand such as St. Patrick?s Day

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »
© 2026 SafeSourcing