After 15 years of being involved in procurement, I recently made the switch to business development. This change has given me a whole new perspective, and allowed me to step back and evaluate the relationships between sales and procurement. There are key themes that should resonate with both buyers and supplier companies in industrial manufacturing. I consider them to be the A's, B's and C's (Alphas, Barriers and Connections).
Alphas
For the most part, procurement and sales professionals enjoy working and interacting with groups of people within their professional circles. Much like pack animals, these groups tend to establish a hierarchy where there are dominant and subordinate members. When it comes to Alphas, they tend to be very confident in their abilities. Alphas know the details or specs of the products or services they buy or sell. Though there are some very arrogant and elitist buyers and sellers out there, Alphas are different. They don't take the position of Alpha; it's given to them by their peers.
One of the greatest risks to Alphas is the insulation afforded to them by their subordinates or "packs." Those other buyers or sellers and their associated support groups will often intercept new attempts to reach that Alpha for sales pitches or inquiries. The interception can be challenging to overcome because it's not like a traditional gatekeeper blocking you from the Alpha. It's often more sophisticated, leading down a path that seems right but often ends up going nowhere.
There is a group that can be most negatively impacted by this interception. They are the people who are new to the business or profession, and may not be confident in their approaches or pitches. For lack of a better term, they are the Runts. I don't use this term in a dismissive manner, but instead to relate their roles to pack mentality. Steve Jobs or Bill Gates were Runts at one time in their professions, but they also had one thing in common: passion. All Runts need is an opportunity. Once they match that passion with opportunity, there's no limit to the results they can accomplish.
I say all this about Alphas and Runts because these are the epitome of opportunity and passion. The Alpha buyers and sellers must be pragmatic enough to realize sometimes they must dig a little deeper, look a little harder and give opportunity to fate in order to recognize the real potential in people they oftentimes dismiss. Alphas will always be big strategic players, but Runts -- the innovators -- can make the biggest impact or transform the end result. But because of barriers preventing connections between Alphas and Runts, these opportunities are often lost.
Barriers
In the industrial manufacturing sector, everyone deals with barriers when trying to provide goods or services. Whether it's insurance, commercial terms or shipping terms, etc., our industry puts up so many barriers that it can be difficult for innovators to connect with opportunities and Alpha buyers or sellers. If you're on the owner's side of manufacturing, barriers for entry are often one-size-fits-all. Everyone must meet them or they aren't granted access.
Sometimes the barriers should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and there must be a process to waive requirements or make adjustments when necessary. Alphas should be willing to make these evaluations and push for waivers when they are appropriate . Don't hide behind your barriers to avoid dealing with new suppliers. Push hard to remove those barriers, because the results can be impressive.
Connections
Often, these barriers aren't so easy to break down, and this is when you need a connection. In the industrial world, our connections tend to be the existing contractors working in the plants. They know the ins and outs of how to work with people on-site. These contractors can serve as the connection to innovators. By bringing innovators on as a subcontractor for these larger contractors, Alphas can often reduce many barriers that prevent the direct connections. They can achieve those groundbreaking results and have those "wow" moments in their plants.
Conclusion
Alphas must step up and become leaders. They must realize the positions they are in that influence change within their organizations and open up opportunities for innovators who help their companies grow. They should build connections for success. When barriers are broken down and connections are made, everyone wins big.
For more information, email rcarter@turner-industries.com or call (713) 470-2321.
