Tropic’s Post

At Tropic we have a small army of procurement professionals that work directly with customers to manage spend requests. (We call them Commercial Executives). Yesterday, I looked at hundreds of data points from customer feedback to see what traits they seem to value the most in their procurement partners. Here’s what I found to be the most commonly referenced: 1️⃣ Customer Service Comments like: “Made the process easy.” “Took the load off my shoulders.” “She made me look good.” “Prioritized the urgent request.” Customers clearly value a strong partnership, helpful coordination among stakeholders, and employees who help navigate and lead an efficient process that is complex in nature but makes it feel simple. 2️⃣ Strong Communication Comments like: “Loved the consistent follow up.” “Responsive.” “Explained a complex situation.” “Great communication.” Although it goes hand in hand with customer service, the specific and frequent references to communication made it so I called it out. Stakeholders want to be kept in the loop. They want data that is clear and easy to understand. They loved being presented with options but also valued data-based recommendations. 3️⃣ Listening Comments like: “Listened to requirements.” “He was able to understand what we needed.” “Great Advocate.” Different departments, different companies, different employees have different needs. They don’t want a one-size-fits-all approach. They want to feel heard and understood. They want someone who listens and understand their business and will advocate on their behalf. 4️⃣ Results Comments like: “Great negotiating.” “Great outcome.” “Outsized results.” “I felt confident that we had achieved a strong offer.” Results can look different and should be aligned with customer expectations. Getting to a better price, saving them time, and helping them source better performing suppliers are having a tremendous impact on companies today. Summary The demand for GOOD procurement is as high as it’s ever been. Want to unlock partner status as a procurement professional? Follow the data 👇 Truly listen to your stakeholders to understand their unique needs. Communicate clearly and with supporting data. Offer strong and proactive customer service by focusing on a great user experience and drive results that they truly care about. Massive shoutout to the awesome commercial executives at Tropic who are driving incredible value.