A Supplier Development Program might be the Secret Sauce your business needs…

When a child is learning to potty train, there is a required development of knowledge — necessary — in order for the operation to go smoothly.

Preparation is an element required on the side of the parent, and both parties (parent and child) need to commit and communicate towards their common goal.

But, children don’t always color inside the lines (if you catch my analogy). And, it’s not their fault.

Children aren’t born with the innate capabilities of using a toilet, prescribed to social norms or your demands. They must be coached through the process, have goals communicated, require hands-on assistance and must practice feverishly. And, at the end of the day, both parties can look back at the collaboration, satisfied with their achievements.

You may be asking yourself…

What’s this guy talking about?

My answer: Practicality can drive performance.

I believe that real world experiences hold applicable value within the business world. Creating practical analogies and drawing connections between two completely different elements of life can often boil a very big problem down to something extremely manageable.

I’m not saying that implementing a supplier development program is the same thing as potty training a child, but I am saying that they have frameworks and methodologies that run in parallel to one another:

Preparation

Communication

Training

Assistance

Practice

The Importance of Supplier Development

Procurement and sourcing teams are heavily reliant upon the effectiveness of the suppliers they choose to collaborate with.

Relationship management between buyer and supplier is crucial to the success rate of a partnership, and both parties must learn to give and take to create fair/shared value.

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