Author Archives: Ashley Sieb
Are you taking a gamble and leaving millions of dollars on the table? You could be if you don’t have the right solutions in place… As a modern procurement pro, you know that having the right technology in place is a key component of your procurement strategy. Implementing eSourcing and eProcurement solutions together allows your team to enhance its performance and impact across the entire organization. What else can you do with the right technology in place? You can: Collaborate … More
On average, our clients are working between three and seven systems. However, tool proliferation does not mean you are a healthy procurement function. In a recent Webinar with AOL and Spend Matters, Scott McBride from Iasta gave this example: “If we draw on the conversation of health, you can put a skinny teenager like Napoleon Dynamite in a room with a treadmill and free weights. He has the tools, but that doesn’t mean that he is healthy.” Now obviously, you … More
How are you using procurement data and insight to bring teams together? Procurement and data can dance (and sing) together if you have the proper tools, processes, and strategy in place to support your goals and growth initiatives. More importantly, you need the confidence to build strong internal relationships. What does it take to let the dancing and singing begin? Join Spend Matters, AOL, and Iasta for a live Webinar on Wednesday, March 27 to learn: A history of spend … More
The women featured in Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s “Top Female Leaders of the Supply Chain” are an impressive group of women that illustrate how far women have come to get where they are today in any industry role. We’re very pleased that our very own Mireia Brancos was featured in this list of female supply chain leaders. If you’re curious to learn more about Mireia, look her up on LinkedIn. Otherwise, we’re happy to share Mireia’s insight and impact … More
As you and your team are preparing to execute your Procurement strategy for 2013, consider adding these resolutions to your “to-do” list: 1. Tell your sourcing story. Has your team transformed processes or implemented new technologies that blew the socks off senior management? Tell everyone by sharing your sourcing stories. Consider creating a quarterly (or monthly) newsletter or e-mail to distribute to the entire company so you can publicize your successes and impact on the organization’s growth and bottom line. … More
On behalf of the team at Iasta, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas! We are very thankful to have your readership and look forward to covering even more great topics and industry news in 2013. Have a safe and happy New Year!
Who is Josh Miles? Josh Miles is a self-proclaimed caffeine and Twitter addict. Professionally, he is the principal and founder of Miles Design, LLC where his role consists of driving brand strategy, business development, and firm-wide marketing. Earlier this year, Josh authored the new Content Marketing Institute book, Bold Brand: The New Rules for Differentiating, Branding, and Marketing Your Professional Services Firm. Let’s learn more about Josh… On Following Your Dream “I’ve been drawing and doing art since I was … More
Often, procurement teams like yours are required to pull data from many unlinked systems. As you know, data in silos of disparate systems is useless. Therefore, teams find themselves lacking the information and insight to implement data-driven business decisions that the CPO and other executives are demanding. Let’s review a few scenarios that might sound a little too familiar…and if they do, be sure to register for our live Webinar with Forrester on Thursday, December 6 at 11 AM EST. … More
Using a spend analysis solution allows you to uncover the hidden potential lying within your data. You can empower your team with business intelligence to make discoveries that can quickly grow your sourcing pipeline. However, procurement teams implementing a spend analysis solution often have to overcome challenges and roadblocks before they gain greater influence and spend under management with the tool. Below are four challenges procurement organizations face when implementing a spend analysis solution: Lack of Spend Understanding: Often, spend … More
The Headless Horsemen is one of the most famous paranormal figures from American literature. In celebration of Halloween today, I’ve decided to put a sourcing spin on this folk tale. Enjoy! One evening, a buyer was working late in the office of Sourcing Hollow. The air was cold and crisp. “The heater is probably going out again,” The Buyer said as he shivered and reached for his sweater. The Buyer was frantically flipping and searching through spreadsheets, supplier emails, and … More
On Luck Jane Rimmer, owner of hiviz-marketing, is a firm believer in making your own luck. “I believe you make your own luck,” Jane said. “But I also believe I have been lucky by being in the right place, at the right time. My experience at a couple of large technology companies provided me with the financial stability and industry connections to launch my own company.” On Business Principles Jane comes from more than 25 years of IT marketing and … More
Are you falling asleep at your desk because you’re having bad dreams about work? With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it would be great to kick off our Procurement Poll series with a question about procurement nightmares. We are interested in learning more about what keeps you up at night, unable to sleep and restless? Click here to take our October Procurement Poll. The results of the Procurement Poll will be featured in an upcoming issue of Iasta … More
According to an article on Inside Supply Management, “Recent research into middle-market companies, those with annual revenue between US$10 million and $1 billion, finds they are the growth engines in today’s economy.” Another interesting statistic from the article? If the nearly 200,000 U.S. middle-market companies were their own country, that country would be the fourth largest economy in the world, behind Japan and ahead of Germany. As middle-market companies continue to grow and shine in our economy, the Ohio State … More
What is your job? It seems like a simple question, but how would you respond if your boss asked you that question? Joe Chernov, VP of Content Marketing for Eloqua, shared an exchange with his boss that he never forgot. An important lesson for everyone to learn… “I was working at a PR firm and my boss, Amy Kavanaugh Mason (who now runs communications for Taco Bell) asked me, ‘What’s your job?’” Chernov said. “I said something about getting press … More
