April 2016 Volume 6, Issue 4

Telecom Contracting 101

Certification & Training Spotlight

The Executives Guide To The SPSM Certification

Webinar Spotlight: The As-a-Service Movement

Options For Staying Certified As An SPSM

Analytics & Automation Can Create Better Supply Chains

How Procurement Can Be Sabotaged By A/P

Why To Hate Fact-Based Negotiation, Part I

Price and Commodity Indices

9-10

Benefits of the SPSM Certification in Bullet Points

12

Lame Excuses For A Buyer To Lack A Certification, Part I

13

Contact Us:
www.NextLevelPurchasing.com
Email: info@nextlevelpurchasing.com
Phone: 1-412-294-1990
Fax : 1-412-294-1992
Mail your correspondence to Next Level Purchasing, P.O. Box 1360,
Moon Township, PA 15108, USA
Leading-Edge Supply Management is published monthly by Next Level Purchasing Association as a free
benefit to association members. If you've received a copy of this magazine from someone rather than
downloading it directly from the Next Level Purchasing Association, you can sign up for a free association
membership to have access to this and other free benefits.
Just visit http://www.NextLevelPurchasing.com/nlpamag and submit your name and email address to join
the Next Level Purchasing Association. Reproduction of this magazine in whole or in part without written
permission by Next Level Purchasing is strictly prohibited.

13

From The Purchasing Certification Blog

Telecom Contracting 101

Special thanks to Source One Management Services for this guest post by Leigh Merz
Whether youre purchasing new telecom services or simply renewing
existing services, there are countless contact intricacies you should be
aware of before signing on the dotted line. Believe it or not, typical telecom
contracts are actually written in the suppliers best interest and do not
typically offer equal liabilities for all parties involved making it all the
more necessary for companies to be aware of the terms and conditions to
which their committing. Dont panic, knowledge is power. Here are a few
Ts and Cs you should look out for, as well as tricks to leverage best-inclass pricing.
First things first, when you negotiate is just as important to what youre
negotiating when it comes to gaining the most leverage for concessions
and flexibility. Whether you are renewing an existing contract or looking to
change suppliers, it is always best to start discussions at least half way
through the existing service term, if not sooner. This will give you the chance to research the market for alternate providers
and solutions and develop a roadmap for required changes.
For example, if you are going to upgrade to a new technology and potentially a new supplier you will need time to research,
compare, and test the market. Depending on how many locations affected by the transition, the process can take several
months based on resource constraints, budgets, and other variables that may come up during a migration/upgrade. Suppliers
can be very helpful in this process but you should identify any roadblocks in advance to allow yourself enough time to make
the change without running into existing contract liabilities. Remember existing contractual liabilities can lead to defaulting to
tariff f pricing and service levels if the contract expires.
Once you have established the services you will be requiring and receive a proposal, you should pay attention to:
Commitments What are the financial and term obligations you have for each service and are they consistent throughout the
contract? Are there monthly or annual revenue commitments that might be impacted by unforeseen changes? Make sure the
commitment amounts/terms are realistic based on current and projected requirements and never commit to 100% or full
term on services. Ask for a business downturn clause that will offer allowances for site closures or unforeseen financial
impacts to your business.
Renewals What happens at the end of your contract term? Does the contract renew automatically and for how long; monthmonth, annual, or even the same term period as the initial term? Also, what notification is required to cancel the renewal
clause in advance of the existing term completion? This is a very important clause to review and understand as it can impact
financial changes at the end of the initial term or lock you in with the incumbent supplier and service for longer than you
require.
Service Levels This should identify the agreed upon scope or work, expected quality of service and
responsibilities/obligations of the supplier for all services being purchased. It is important to identify all of your needs and
expectations and ensure the supplier agrees to and documents this via a separate SLA (service level agreement). If this is not
clearly identified and there is a service outage for example, the supplier might not be held accountable and any financial
considerations or credits expected may not be viable unless detailed in the SLA.
Other terms/clauses Equal liabilities Whatever allowance the suppler has should be the same for the customer. A simple area would be for
billing/payments. If the supplier allows themselves 120 days to bill you for services, then you should have 120 days to dispute
charges.
Upgrades If you are going to upgrade a service prior to end of term, you should be able to do so without any financial penalty
under the existing contract as long as it is with the incumbent.

(Continued on page 13)

Page 2 Volume 6, Issue 4

Certification and
Training Spotlight
March 2016 Recipients of the SPSM Certification
Jorge A., Sr. Mgr. Global Procurement, Tennessee, United States
Santosh A., Process Developer, Bangalore, India
Nohad A., Sales Manager, Georgia, United States
Becky B., Purchasing Manager, Texas, United States
Lori B., Supervisor, Equipment & Supply, Alberta, Canada
Mickie C., Buyer II, Purchasing, Wyoming, United States
Whitney C., Dir. of Strategic Sourcing, Mass., United States
Yvette C., Buyer, New Jersey, United States
Roger D., Purchasing Manager, New Mexico, United States
Roop D., Process Developer, Bangalore, India
Nicole D., Procurement Professional, Wyoming, United States
Eva D., International Sourcing Support, Pezinok, Slovakia
Karen F., Buyer, New York, United States
Margarita G., Contract Administrator, Texas, United States
Sandhya G., Procurement Professional, Faridabad, India
Nicole G., Inside Sales/Sales Support, British Columbia, Canada
Gina G., Senior Buyer, New Mexico, United States
Christy H., Planner/Team Lead, Indiana, United States
Karthik H., Process Developer, Bangalore, India
Peter I., Chief Accounting Officer, Benin City, Nigeria
Karen K., Procurement Specialist, Maryland, United States

Lacy L., Purchasing Manager, Arizona, United States

David L., Purchasing Agent, Massachusetts, United States
Bobby L., Buyer, Texas, United States
Max M., Buyer, Paris, France
Michelle M., BOM/ERP Configuration Coord. Texas, United States
Maha M., Technical Purch. Specialist, Michigan, United States
Victor M., Senior Technical Advisor, Nairobi, Kenya
Shan N., Purchasing Coordinator, California, United States
Rick P., Sourcing Leader, Ohio, United States
Nancy P., MRO Purchasing Clerk, Tennessee, United States
Christina P., Buyer, Wisconsin, United States
Ian R., Chief Procurement Officer, Florida, United States
Anuradha S., Process Developer, Bengaluru, India
L. S., Management Trainee, Telangana, India
Dorian S., Purchaser, Manitoba, Canada
Candice S., Buyer, Nevada, United States
Manoj S., Management Trainee, New Delhi, India
Stacy S., Procurement Professional, Wyoming, United States
Sandeep S., Senior Practice Expert, Texas, United States
Tracy V., Purch & Inventory Control Mgr., Kentucky, United States
Bernhard W., Head of Business Intelligence, Vienna, Austria

From The Purchasing Certification Blog

The Executives Guide To The SPSM Certification

by Charles Dominick, SPSM, SPSM2, SPSM3
Are you a procurement leader who wonders if you should pursue a certification
for your team? Perhaps youve heard about the benefits of having your
procurement team earn the SPSM Certification. Maybe youve even researched
the advantages of the SPSM vs other certifications.
Do you just need that little extra bit of detail before you take the plunge and
enroll your team? Well, theres a resource designed and recently updated
specifically for you: The Executives Guide To The SPSM Certification.
In this Guide, youll dive deep into learning exactly what the SPSM Certification
can do to enhance your teams performance, how it has helped other
procurement leaders in their own words, and how to get your team started on
the glorious journey to certification.
You can download a copy of The Executives Guide To The SPSM Certification at
http://www.nextlevelpurchasing.com/request-spsm-executive-guide.php.

April 2016 Page 3

Procurement and the

As-a-Service Movement
Procurement organizations are facing growing pressure to do more with less, to contribute to the
bottom line, not just in the form of savings but also profit. Procurement solutions must also change to
adapt to this new environment and embrace the as-a-Service movement.
For this webinar, the Next Level Purchasing Association has tapped a top procurement technology
company to share its thought leadership on this subject.
Puridiom, a long-time and respected player in the procurement solution arena, has recognized that
organizations must do more than just control spend. They must create a holistic plan for the entire
organization that will promote profit, growth and value in every aspect and not just procurement.
Join the NLPA and Puridiom as we discuss what this type of program looks like, how procurement-as-aservice works, and why it is not just another outsourcing offering.

11:30 am Eastern US Time

This webinar is FREE for members
of the Next Level Purchasing Association.

Register Now

To register, login to the association and navigate to the Webinars tab. There youll find a registration
link, be sure to enter a valid email address as attendance details will be sent to you by email.
Registrations may be limited.
Slides of this presentation will be made available to all NLPA Premium Members at least 30 minutes prior to the webinar. If youre not
yet a Premium Member, learn more here: http://www.nextlevelpurchasing.com/registration-premium.php.

Page 4 Volume 6, Issue 4

From The Purchasing Certification Blog

Options For
Staying
Certified As
An SPSM
by Charles Dominick, SPSM, SPSM2, SPSM3

To keep a certification like the SPSM as prestigious as it is, the holders of that certification must be recognized as those who
are at the top of their field and well-versed in the most current of best practices. Thats why your original SPSM Certification
has an expiration date and provides for a way to maintain your certification indefinitely.
The SPSM Certification is valid for a period of four years. It can be renewed for an unlimited number of additional four year
periods through a process called Recertification.
Recertification requires you to earn 32 Continuing Education Hours (CEHs) in purchasing and supply management topics from
approved sources and submit an application. Recertification is designed to maintain both your skills as well as your SPSM
credentials.
As an alternative to Recertification, you can choose to earn higher levels of certification, such as the SPSM2, SPSM3, and
soon-to-be-released SPSM4. Each of these certifications involves completing four specific online procurement courses for the
same number of CEHs you would need to earn for recertification: 32. Theres also one exam and an application for each
higher level of certification.
Each higher-level certification adds four years onto the time you are certified. And keeping your highest-level certification valid
keeps all lower-level certifications in the SPSM Family valid. You do not need to worry about Recertification for each
certification separately.
For example, if you earn the SPSM Certification in 2016, it will expire in 2020. If you earn the SPSM2 Certification before your
SPSM Certification expires, both certifications will be valid for four years past your original expiration date in this example,
2024. If you earn the SPSM3 before your SPSM2 expires, your expiration date for all three of those certifications will be four
years later, 2028.
The advantage of choosing advanced levels of certification are that you get additional credentials to add after your name
SPSM2, SPSM3, and SPSM4 and you get to further distinguish yourself from the rest of the procurement world. The higher
the level of certification, the fewer people have attained it, thereby making you part of a very exclusive crowd of elite
procurement professionals.
However, if thats more ambitious of a certification plan than youd like, then you can simply choose the Recertification route
to ensure that you remain certified.
April 2016 Page 5

How analytics & automation can create better supply chains

Editors Note: This article was written by our partners at Source One Management Services on the Strategic Sourceror Blog. It is being
reprinted here with permission.

In today's fast-paced, digitized world, efficiency is a necessity for

companies. The Internet of Things has provided global supply
chains with a robust lineup of innovative technologies and solutions
for optimizing workflow, reducing costs and improving customer
service. Whether it is for manufacturing and assembly lines,
warehouse and inventory management or transportation and
logistics, each function of business operations can be significantly
improved with the use of artificial intelligence. Computerized
systems have the power to reduce human error, identify and
mitigate potential risks and disruptions, increase performance and,
ultimately, improve an organization's bottom line.
It is becoming increasingly important in today's competitive market for companies to implement strategies that facilitate cost
reductions and streamline production to stay ahead of competitors. For this reason, supply chain managers are tasked with
integrating solutions that give businesses back the time and money previously spent on unnecessary functions.
Adopting automation systems As more business operations move to digital platforms, many areas are becoming data
oriented. Manual entry of this essential information can be both time consuming and tedious. Some of the major downsides
of humans being responsible for such processes were highlighted in a white paper published by Lexmark. Not only does it take
longer and reduce productivity which, in turn, leads to higher costs, but it also leaves too much room for error.
However, as the source pointed out, by utilizing Robotic Process Automation, or RPA, supply chain executives can effectively
resolve a lot of these concerns. Although this type of technology has long been used in assembly lines, it is becoming
significantly more sophisticated. With advanced software, these robots possess dynamic capabilities that can improve
workflow and lead to cost-savings by handling functions such as order scheduling and shipment tracking. This leads to
reduced worker and labor-related expenses and improves customer service.
The white paper gave an example of when RPA was particularly beneficial to logistics transportation. A truckload carrier began
using the technology to handle order scheduling, as well as retrieving, updating and filing customer documents. Workers were
able to focus on other essential areas of business and the company reduced costs by 90 percent.
Leveraging analytics for supply chain optimizationAt this point, it's hard for managers to ignore the prominence of data and
analytics. This technology has been a huge aspect in the digital revolution because it provides business leaders with
quantitative metrics that can help them learn more about their customers. However, it can and should also be used for internal
process improvements as well.
And while the majority of companies acknowledge big data analytics can add considerable value to supply chain functions,
according to an Accenture Global Operations report, only 17 percent have actually started using them. There are a wide range
of benefits that the use of this information offers, including:

Increased visibility across multiple platforms

Real-time inventory management and order distribution
Better risk mitigation planning
Reduced order-to-deliver cycle times
Quicker response to disruptions and non-compliance issues
Improved traceability

The source also noted that two of the top concerns supply chain professionals have about big data analytics are security and
financial investment. However, it is important that businesses identify where exactly the installation of innovative technologies
will be most effective and profitable.
(Continued on page 12)
Page 6 Volume 6, Issue 4

Are These Procurement Nightmares Happening In Your Organization?

In procurement, you work hard to negotiate cost savings and build profitable supplier relationships. But, if improperly
managed, your accounts payable (A/P) department can unintentionally sabotage much of the good work that you do. Here are
three ways that A/P can sabotage procurement successes:

1) By not paying suppliers on time. Other than maybe being rude to supplier executives, there is nothing that causes more
strain on a supplier relationship than paying them late. Cash is the lifeblood of your suppliers' business. By extending
payment terms to your organization, your suppliers trust that you will pay them on time. When A/P fails to send payment to
suppliers on time, suppliers may reconsider how closely they partner with you, require your organization to pay cash-ondelivery, or even refuse to do business with you any longer.

2) By deducting early payment discounts when not paying early. Suppliers offer early payment discounts like a 2% discount
if an invoice is paid in 10 days rather than 45 for the benefit of improved cash flow. If your A/P department still deducts
the discount after they are eligible to do so, it is absolutely unethical. In fact, I'd consider it a veritable criminal offense,
akin to stealing money from someone that's supposed to be your business partner.

3) By paying invoices that have higher prices than your contract or purchase order. Some A/P departments have a policy that
allows them to pay invoice amounts that don't match the purchase order or contract, but are within a threshold. I've seen
thresholds as high as 5%. So, imagine negotiating a 5% cost savings but never having it hit the bottom line because A/P
pays invoices that are 5% too high.
These problems can be prevented through good collaboration between procurement and A/P. Discuss these specific issues
with the head of A/P and come up with a strategy to make sure that they don't arise in your organization.
How Procurement Can Be Sabotaged By A/P by Charles Dominick, SPSM, SPSM2, SPSM3 was originally published in Editions 346 of PurchTips.
April 2016 Page 7

D o Yo u U s e E m ot io n s I n N e got i a t io n O r On ly Fa c t s ?
More and more procurement departments are becoming parts of the
finance organization. Some procurement heads report directly to their
Chief Financial Officers. While generally good, one of the downsides is that
many procurement professionals are taking on the personality of beancounting robots.
This has led to the proliferation of "fact-based negotiations." This is where
some procurement negotiators focus on one, and only one, approach to
negotiating: proving to the supplier what their costs should be so that the
supplier will charge a lower price. They focus 100% on the science of
negotiating and 0% on the art of negotiating.

In my opinion, fact-based negotiation should be a tool in the procurement

negotiator's toolbox. Just not the only tool. There are four reasons why I
hate fact-based negotiation as a one-size-fits-all approach to negotiating
with suppliers.
It fails to leverage the effective tactic of using emotion in negotiations.
When you negotiate with a supplier CEO, you may be negotiating with the
company's founder. Company founders are often emotional people
entrepreneurs who started their companies out of a passion to overcome
odds. They can be moved by an emotional approach to negotiation.
Focusing only on facts fails to tap into their propensity to make emotiondriven decisions.
It fails to recognize that suppliers think about revenue growth more than cost. In procurement, we are almost brainwashed to
think solely about costs. When suppliers create proposals, their minds aren't necessarily on getting the cost calculations just
right. Their minds are on winning deals and growing their top lines. Getting a supplier to agree to your cost calculation may not
get your supplier to the price it is willing to offer to achieve the growth it seeks. We'll cover two more reasons to hate factbased negotiations in the next issue.

Why To Hate Fact-Based Negotiation, Part I by Charles Dominick, SPSM, SPSM2, SPSM3 was originally published in Edition 347 of PurchTips.
Page 8 Volume 6, Issue 4

Price and Commodity Indices

Producers Price Index
The Producers Price Index (PPI) measures the change in the
wholesale selling prices that producers charge for goods and
services. It is typical for producers to offset rising prices by
passing on the higher costs to consumers in the form of
higher retail prices, therefore the PPI is often an early
indicator of inflation. Inflation is a decline in the purchasing
power of a currency, for example the USD, where each dollar
buys fewer goods and services than it could previously.
Interpreting the PPI: When the PPI rises, this signals an
increase in inflationary pressures. When the PPI falls, this
signals a decline of prices and may suggest an economic
slowdown.

Consumer Price Index

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is used as a measure of
inflation. To calculate the CPI, first a fixed basket of goods
is determined and a baseline of prices is calculated. Then
changes in price are calculated for each item, averaged and
weighted according to the importance of the item.
Interpreting the CPI: A higher CPI indicates that the total price
of the basket has increased and it now costs more to buy
that same basket of goods (inflation). A lower CPI indicates
that the total price has declined and now it costs less to buy
that same basket of goods (deflation).

Each month well include an updated graph of the PPI and

CPI as well as the PPI graph of an individual commodity. This
month we had a request to include Maintenance and repair
of non-residential buildings.
Send your request for which commodities you would like to
see featured in this section in upcoming issues to:
commodityppi@nextlevelpurchasing.com.
To learn more about these and other indices, we recommend
reviewing the Inflation & Prices section of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (US) website at: www.bls.gov or by
researching indices calculated in your specific country.

April 2016 Page 9

Price and Commodity Indices

(Continued from page 9)

In addition to reporting on the indices published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Leading-Edge Supply
Management is proud to report on an independent index - the MMI metals price index. The MMI is a set of 10 indices, created
by Metal Miner, that track price changes in global metal markets. This month, well feature the March 2016 Rare Earths MMI.
What makes the MMI different than other indices that are already out there? A few things. For one, the MMI takes into
account global price fluctuations, not just domestic ones. For another, the MMI has a few industry-specific indices as Metal
Miner sees differences in how prices fluctuation between industries. For a third, the MMI is accompanied by analysis direct
from the source Metal Miner.
So, without further ado, here are the results for the March 2016 Rare Earths MMI as well as Metal Miners analysis.

GAO, DoD Squabble Over Rare Earths Supply

Remember back in 2010 and 2011 when the

federal government lamented that China
controls nearly 100% of rare earths production
in the world and said the US needs to develop
its own rare earths production? Back then it
was now-bankrupt Molycorp, Inc., that the feds
were trying to prop up.
Well, dust off your Ke$ha Tik Tok single
because 2010 is back in the Rare Earths MMI!
Just last month the Government Accountability
Office scolded the Pentagon in a wide-ranging
report to Congress that both faulted the
Defense Department for not coming up with a
better approach to RE supply chains and
lamented that were still dependent on China
and others for the critical minerals used in
defense applications.

Take That, DoD!

The GAO even dispensed with bureaucrat-ese and got all snippy with DoD, saying the Pentagon had been generally directed
by law since at least 2011 to take actions concerning supply chain vulnerabilities for materials, such as rare earths and
faulting it for, well, not doing anything.
Returning fire, a Pentagon spokesman told Breaking Defense DoD disagrees with the GAO characterization that DoD has no
department-wide approach for critical materials, but in the spirit of continuous improvement, the Department agrees with the
recommendations in the GAO report.
The GAO even said that it had to take it upon itself to define what critical minerals are since DoD hadnt yet done so. Its
hard to fault DoD, though, for dragging its feet on Rare Earths as the market remains oversupplied and even the most indemand elements are cruising along with low prices. The Rare Earths MMI fell from a 17 in February to a 16 this month, par
for the course for its low price range since 2011.

The Rare Earths MMI collects and weights 14 global rare earth metal price points to provide a unique view into rare earth
metal price trends over a 30-day period.
NOTE: Next Level Purchasing is exploring the possibility of making actual metals price points available as an inexpensive service. If you might be interested
in such a service, please contact Kara Uhrlen, Business Development Manager, at kuhrlen@nextlevelpurchasing.com or +1-412-294-1990 to help us
determine the level of interest and how rapidly we should pursue this option.

Page 10 Volume 6, Issue 4

April 2016 Page 11

From The Purchasing Certification Blog

The Benefits of the SPSM Certification

by Charles Dominick, SPSM, SPSM2, SPSM3

in Bullet Points

Between our website, the press coverage we receive, questions

procurement professionals ask us, and more, all of us here at the
NLPA tend to go on and on about the benefits of the SPSM
Certification. Were just that passionate about how the SPSM helps
procurement departments and procurement professionals!

Well, we decided that perhaps we needed to complement our

elaborate ravings with something a bit simpler. So, here is a list of
the benefits of the SPSM Certification in brief bullet points!
Employers who have enrolled their procurement teams in the SPSM Certification Program have reported these benefits:
Greater cost savings
Better overall workplace performance
Enhanced credibility with management and internal customers
Support for best practice implementation and change management
Greater team unity
A stimulated and highly-skilled team
The enjoyment of performing more strategically
Improved ability for all team members to perform more independently
Procurement professionals who themselves have earned the SPSM Certification have reported these benefits:
Pay increases
More respect in the workplace and from suppliers
Promotions
Being more qualified for better procurement jobs
Better workplace performance that leads to better performance reviews
Simple enough?
For more details, be sure to check out our collection of procurement case studies or request SPSM Certification information!
How analytics & automation can create better supply chains (Continued from page 6)

Although a certain degree of flexibility and patience is needed following the adoption of automated systems and new solutions,
there should also be a return on investment that benefits the company in the long run. Many industry experts have warned
against supply chain managers jumping too quickly at the opportunity to implement a modern strategy into the business model
before first understanding that possible effects it may have on profits.
As Lexmark explained in its white paper, developing and enforcing a new, automated process involves IT divisions, which
makes it all too easy for some companies to consider the adoption digital processes a low priority and focus on other day-today tasks. Unfortunately, it isn't uncommon for the projects to be forgotten about altogether. To avoid this, it would be wise for
managers to consult with supply chain solutions specialists that have the knowledge and experience needed to ensure the
best, most cost-effective strategies are used.
Page 12 Volume 6, Issue 4

Telecom Contracting 101 (Continued from page 2)

Miscellaneous and ancillary fees A contract may stipulate the exact costs for services/products but may not clearly identify
other costs such as install, training, management fees, etc. Make sure you have these type of charges documented in writing.
You should understand the complete financial obligation in advance especially for budgeting purposes and to guide you in
negotiations of the contract.
Contract Length Technology has evolved more rapidly in the past several years and continues to change, getting better and
cheaper in many cases. Typical telecom contracts are anywhere from 2-5 years and it is best not to extend contracts past this
period to allow for market condition shifts.
There is a lot to think about when contracting for telecom services and although I have provided a few areas for consideration,
there are countless other clauses and terms that should be reviewed. The key is allowing yourself enough time to develop a
cost competitive contract that is fair and equal for all parties involved. Preparing well in advance allows for more flexibility
when it comes to migrating or changing services. Dont simply accept the first offer and assume it is the best. An initial
proposal or contract should be considered a draft and there is always room for improvement and change.

From The Purchasing Certification Blog

Lame Excuses For A Buyer To Lack A Certification, Part I

by Charles Dominick, SPSM, SPSM2, SPSM3
Among other things, a procurement certification proves that you are serious about your profession. So, naturally, a common
interview question for a buyer position is: Why dont you have a certification?
There are three lame excuses that weve heard. Please, if you
want to call yourself a buying professional, do not make these
excuses. These excuses are so thin, any hiring manager can
see right through them.
Heres the first one I dont have time
Think about the people who have accomplished great things in
this world: Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Steve Jobs,
etc. They had the same 24 hours per day given to you and I.
Anyone can look at their responsibilities and claim to not have
time. Theres a billion things for each of us to do. And,
unfortunately, that makes saying I dont have time oh-soconvenient.
But, lets break things down a bit. Each of the six online courses of the SPSM Certification Program consists of eight lessons,
each one hour or less in duration. If you committed to doing just one lesson a week, you could earn your SPSM in less than a
year.
Now, think about some of the things you do in your week that could steal that one hour from you. Spending time on social
media, watching TV, sitting in traffic instead of taking the bus, reading entertainment articles, etc.
When you spend your time doing those things, you have nothing to show for your time spent. Now, imagine using those hours
to earn a buyer certification. You would have something to show for it. Something that would help you get more money in your
paycheck, better job performance, higher-level opportunities, more respect from your coworkers, and more.
Wouldnt you rather have something to show for that time? For that mere one hour per week? Wouldnt it be worth making
time for those benefits?
Buying professionals like you do just that every day and are moving ahead with their careers as a result. Well cover another
lame excuse in Part II.
April 2016 Page 13