I think about procurement more than I'm willing to admit

I think about procurement more than I'm willing to admit.

But not in the PO, invoice, sourcing, acronym-y way that most associate with the function.

Here's why.

I found that when I started talking to colleagues about procurement and led with jargon they didn't understand or policy-driven directions, I'd lose them.

And their non-verbals showed it. We all know the 'what the hell are you talking about' look... it's hard to miss.

I get it.

So, to this day, I spend a lot of time thinking about how the complexity and importance of procurement - buying stuff for a business - can be explained.

Even just sharing the definition.

For example, 'Buying stuff for a business' lands a lot better than 'the process of sourcing, purchasing, receiving, and inspecting all of the goods and services your business needs to operate.'

Yuck.

I find, if you start simple and add a narrative, usually with relatable anecdotes, you can get much further.

Then you bring in more details, slowly.

Focus on the person you're talking to and align it with what they do.

If it's marketing, discuss something relatable to their job, like brand or creative, and share a procurement-specific example where you helped the design team buy a new tool that helped develop more assets for campaigns.

Meet them where they are and introduce your ideas, process, needs, wants, etc., through their lens.

Eye-opening. (yes, pun absolutely intended)