Coming in at the number 4 spot for our most popular blog posts on theSuperior Business Solutions Business Blog from 2014, comes How to Increase Sales? 3 Ways to Work Smarter Not Harder. Enjoy the recap and stay tuned for the rest of the month’s countdown of our top 5 posts of 2014, which will end with a special thank you from us to you.
3 Ways To Work Smarter Instead of Harder
Want to increase your sales? Save time on the job? And still have some energy left over for your family? There are ways to do this by working smarter instead of harder.
As all of our lives are lived at warp speed trying to balance our work duties, our family lives, and still managing to squeeze in some time for our social lives, time is our biggest commodity. In the simplest form, commodity management deals with streamlining the materials management process which can be summarized in the most simplistic of ways: delivering the correct materials, at an optimal price, in a timely manner to meet your needs.
So how do you accomplish this?
Work Smarter To Increase Sales in 3 Tips
1. Pick out a trusted Value Added Partner (VAP) – Pick out a VAP partner that can provide a benefit to your company and provide solutions, innovation, and most of all a competitive advantage that could not be achieved through a traditional purchasing process. The right partner has in mind the best interests of your company for both the short and long terms. They should be able to bring ideas to the table that will streamline both the ordering process as well the flow of materials within your organization.
2. Technology Is Your Ally – By utilizing an ecommerce ordering and inventory management system with a trusted commodity management VAP, you’ll realize many benefits. From there, savings, both hard and soft dollars, are sure to follow.
First, utilize an on line ordering process via a company specific product set. Make your commodity manager talk in your language, your part #’s, and your product identification codes. It is counterproductive to have your team invest their time in learning your partner’s part number sets.
Next, an effective on line inventory management systems will reduce inventory carrying costs by reducing lead times from weeks to days by utilizing blanket purchase orders. In addition, reporting and real time data will be available at your fingertips to make more informed decisions in assessing the proper Economic order quantities for one or multiple locations.
3. Work Smarter – By entrusting a group of products with one trusted VAP, you’re allowing yourself maximum savings and service opportunities. You can accomplish this by allowing your supplier to lock in long term pricing and volume discounts with their downstream suppliers based on committed volumes. In addition, multiple setups can be avoided and savings realized by less setups within the total commodity set. Long term strategy and direction can easily be shared with a single commodity manger to reduce obsolescence and get assistance with transition.
The old saying goes, “knowledge is power” and if you have one trusted partner to communicate to, better decisions will be made.
Accomplishing Your Goals
At the end of the day, a commodity management partnership with trusted partners is a win-win proposition for you. It’s formed through trust, savings, common goals, information sharing, and the common vision of long-term success for both parties.
Yes we all move at warp speed to accomplish our work, family, and social goals. But anytime a tool like commodity management can assist in one of those areas to free up time in other areas, it leads to a greater level of fulfillment in our home life and to a more successful work life.
