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Selling the Supply Chain Expert
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I had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Mize from Global Supply Chain Advisors on my latest episode of The Simply Sell Podcast.
What does it take to sell a Supply Chain Expert?
Learn what not to do and what you should do when making that initial cold call.
Learn what separates the average sales rep from the great sales rep.
Get a true understanding of what strategic sourcing is and what supply chain people prioritize with their supply chain.
Okay, I would like to welcome Melissa Maze to the Simply Sell podcast as we talk about the best way to sell a supply chain professional. So, Melissa, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself? I think you've sourced almost everything from raw materials to other things. So give us a little bit of background. And I also know you went to Georgia Tech. So I'm not going to hold that against you because I'm I went to KSU, but I'm a dogs fan. So I won't hold the Georgia Tech thing ahead uh against you. So tell us a little bit about yourself.
SPEAKER_00Thanks for having me, Brian. You know, I know you're looking for some secrets today, so I'll try and deliver them for you. I'm Melissa. I've been in supply chain for about 18 plus years now. Um, and as you said, I've worked in manufacturing and I've pretty much sourced a little bit of everything from raw materials, hardwares, components, pharmaceuticals, you name it. I've probably bought it. I started as a buyer, I worked my way into leadership, and eventually I oversaw about 100 million in spend um across multiple locations. So I've been on the receiving end of a lot of sales pitches and outreach. Some great, some not that great. I'm currently working at Global Supply Chain Advisors, and I'm helping manufacturers stabilize supply issues before they disrupt production. But my perspective today is going to be bringing you from being on that side of the table for all that time.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Well, you know what? You're coming into an interesting time because uh supply chain seems to be kind of strained these days with everything that's going on politically and tariffs and all of these different things that are in play. So it makes it harder on the supply chain people that are out there. So let's talk, dive into two areas that I like to talk about. One is strategic sourcing, and the other one is procurement. It seems like you have a passion for both. So, of all the items that you've sourced or procured in your career, which one was your favorite?
SPEAKER_00I'm gonna have to say I think resins was definitely my favorite. You know, it was really high volume, it was very market driven, you know, so there was a lot of real strategy to it, which was fun. And honestly, I really loved the challenge of that. You know, I had it down to the science. Yeah, I see how far can I buy under the market. I started out, you know, I was averaging about six cents below the spot pricing. And I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but that translates into millions of dollars a year in savings. So I was really plugged in. It was to the point where the resin manufacturers were actually calling to figure out what I was doing and when I was buying. So I kind of took that as a compliment for real.
SPEAKER_01Well, that that is a big compliment. And that's you know, one thing uh about you know, that people don't really understand when it comes to procurement and strategic sourcing, every dollar that you remove from the supply chain goes right to the bottom, right? So let's just say hypothetically, if I go out and sell a million dollar order and I make uh let's just say 20% on it, $200,000, that's great. But you could go out and find, you know, uh $200,000 worth of cost removal, which is just the same as me making a sale. So I think a lot of people don't really see that. That, you know, strategic sourcing and procurement people really impact the bottom line if it's done correctly. Now, if it's done incorrectly, it could go the opposite way. But but obviously that's the beauty of your position is you impact the the bottom line directly, whereas a salesperson may not. So let's dive into the questions I want to ask you to help salespeople be better prepared and selling the supply chain professionals. So, so one of the questions I I really wanted to dive into is, you know, what is the difference between strategic sourcing and procurement? You know, many times they're linked together, but I believe they're different. And I would really like the audience to hear it from an expert to find out what's the difference between strategic sourcing and procurement.
SPEAKER_00Okay, good question. I agree they are different, even though they do get lumped together a good bit. So the simplest way to say is strategic sourcing is a longer-term analytical side. You know, it starts with the goals of the business and asks, what are we trying to accomplish? Do we need to reduce costs? Do we need to lower supply risk? Do we need to improve quality? Do we need to add capacity? Do we need to support growth? You know, it's a long list. From there, you're evaluating the market and you're building a strategy that supports those goals. Procurement is more of the day-to-day execution of that strategy. So it includes the actual tactical placing orders, confirming deliveries, getting the materials, you know, all that that goes along to keep things moving. So simply strategic sourcing creates the plan and procurement carries it out. Both matter. You can have the greatest supplier agreement in the world, but if the orders are wrong or not on time, you know, no one's going to be impressed by how strategic you looked in your PowerPoint.
SPEAKER_01Okay. I will be honest with you, as I am with everybody, that is a great answer. So as some of the classes that I've that I've taken, I've never had an answer explained to me that simple. So it's great that you're explaining something simple on my uh podcast called Simply Sell. So maybe you need to come out with a podcast called Simply Sourcing.
SPEAKER_00Maybe. Maybe this is my claim to fame.
SPEAKER_01So so beyond payment terms and price negotiation, what are some of the things that strategic sourcing people can do to remove costs from the supply chain? Obviously, the easy thing to do is just beat your supplier up on payment terms and and price negotiation. And, you know, that happens a lot. And, you know, but really, what are some other things that that strategic sourcing people can do to remove cost?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I know, I know I used to beat you up on pricing too. Okay. Well, the first thing you can do, you know, you want to stop treating purchasing price as the only cost, like you said. You know, a lower price does not always mean that you're actually spending less. So you've got to look at the total cost of buying and using that product. You know, you've got to take into account fruit, as you mentioned, duties. You got to take into account packaging. How much inventory do we need to carry? You know, what's our minimum order quantities, lead times, quality problems, expediting? It's a huge amount of stuff. Also, specifications, that's another big opportunity. Sometimes the company is buying something that is over-engineered, you know, when they could be just looking at something maybe more off-shelf that would help reduce costs. Also, consolidate and fragmented spend. So if you have multiple locations, you know, you want to make sure that you're combining that spend together to get uh cost savings because you're buying a larger volume. Some of course, lead times matter. So a supplier with a lower price, but a very long lead time may force the company to carry more inventory. So there's a lot of kind of trade-offs there. Another one, quality. You've got to take that into the equation. Because what if you're having to rework the parts? What if you're having production downtime? What if you're having to do all these other additional steps to it? You know, you're adding costs in there that you might not realize at the front. So once again, to kind of bring it back home, good strategic sourcing is about removing costs from the entire system, not just squeezing the supplier until the quote gets smaller. You know, you have to make sure you're building the correct partnerships to look at all the other facets of it.
SPEAKER_01Good, good answer. Very good. I I would say in in my experience and having to dealt with people, there is one thing that they miss every single time is the specifications. And you brought up a very good point about the specifications. How can you buy something that's a little bit more standard off the shelf as opposed to over-engineering the product? And honestly, when you don't have engineering and supply chain working together, then when you're in a COVID-esque type market, it's a supply chain person's nightmare because you're trying to come up with something that will work, but the engineer is just so focused on it's gotta be this. And obviously, if you have a really good engineering team that works with the supply chain people and you have a good salesperson that's actually involved with any kind of engineering change, it's amazing how much you can remove, you know, cost from a supply chain. So kudos to you for having that type of mindset. And, you know, I I know in my experience and having worked with different clients, just one minor change in the specification actually could remove as much as six figures from the supply chain, but you got to have an open mind to do that. So kudos to you. So when you have salespeople that are calling on you, what separates the good ones from the great ones, great ones?
SPEAKER_00I was wondering when we hit the sales questions. Okay. So I think the difference really, so a good salesperson knows their product. You know, I'd hope they they know that much at least. But I think a great one really is one who takes time to kind of understand the business and help me figure out whether they are offering what they're offering actually solves a problem. You know, have they done some basic research before they called? Do they ask good questions? Do they listen to the answers and adjust kind of based on what they're hearing? You know, nothing loses me faster if we're answering questions and realizing they're just trying to get back to their presentation. And I'm like, okay, here we are. You know, at least they're checking their boxes instead of listening to the actual issues I'm having. So that's always fun. But you know, also honesty, of course. I want you to be really straightforward. You know, I'm looking for clarity, honesty, and an understanding. You know, if you tell me you're gonna follow up, uh, and you say I'll follow up with you on Tuesday, well, send me a follow-up on Tuesday, you know. I'm using that to kind of gauge how the supplier relationship is actually gonna play out in the future too. So if you come in and you're missing follow-ups and you're you're not clear and stuff, I'm like, oh my gosh, this supplier relationship might be a pain. And I don't know if I really want to deal with that. So anyone can win an order, but a great person, you know, it helped build the partnership that helps both companies get valued after the order is placed.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. And and it's funny you say that about when you're when you're giving your presentation and your sales were up. I had a previous guest on my supply chain, I mean on my podcast, and he he always uses a term called the me monster, right? He always the me monster is always talking about me, me, me, me, me. And in sales, it's really the meetings are not really about the presentation. It's really about the client. And sometimes you may, in the middle of a presentation with the client, be thinking, you know, this presentation's pretty good, but we're actually going to 86 this presentation because all of the information that you're giving me doesn't really pertain to this presentation. And it's okay to kind of say, hey, you know what, I prepared for this, but I didn't expect some of this great information that I'm getting from you. So let's 86 this presentation and talk about what you want to talk about. And so sometimes you have to pivot, and you know, a lot of times you just get so focused on, oh, I want to give a great presentation that you forget about who the person is on the other side of the table, and that really the meeting is about them. So so it's uh good points that you brought up there. So we live in a world where there's caller ID, there's email, there's all of these, these things that serve as a gatekeeper. When I first started, the gatekeeper was the lady behind the behind the uh behind the desk that answered the phone, right? Today it's it's much more difficult. So salespeople tend to get ghosted by strategic sourcing people, especially if they're coming in cold. So, what would be the best piece of advice you can give salespeople to drive engagement with strategic sourcing people to get that first meeting?
SPEAKER_00Okay, that's that's another, you've got a lot of good questions.
SPEAKER_01So good job, Brian. Well, thank you. I tried to come prepared, but this is really a podcast is about you. So there you have it.
SPEAKER_00Well, I would say give me a reason to care before you ask me for a meeting. You know, I think that right there is going to help set you apart because as a source strategic person, like I get a lot of outreach. My phone rings all day long. So, what is something that you can do to kind of set yourself apart? You know, most of them say, like, oh, I'd love to introduce myself and learn more about your business and tell you about our capabilities. Well, that kind of pushes the work back on me. Like, what are they trying to sell me? Why do I need to make time? Is is this really important? You know, instead do some more targeted research, like come in with a solution or a challenge we might be facing or something relevant to the company. You know, explain briefly how you might be able to help with something specific, not just, oh, I have 500 of these widgets and you make widgets, so let me sell this to you. Like, no. You know, keep the messages short, make the requests specific. You know, all our time is very valuable. So make sure you're bringing value and you're keeping it short and to the point. You know, please, like, do not send me six emails that only say, just moving this to the top of your inbox. Like, I saw it. Oh my gosh, please stop putting that email. I'm gonna delete it and block you out of pure spite.
SPEAKER_01Wow.
SPEAKER_00That's that's good.
SPEAKER_01That's a good one. I I had never I'd never heard of someone just saying, I'm moving this to the top of your inbox.
SPEAKER_00Oh my gosh, really? Let me tell you how many times a day I get that. But like chase them into responding. You know, you gotta make your conversations relevant, make them relevant enough that responding feels worth my time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Okay. Interesting. Okay. I love I love the answers. I'm actually learning something on here too. So this is great. So when you're evaluating suppliers during the RFQ process, what do you look for beyond the spreadsheet? Obviously, we live in a world where, you know, some people are gonna just look at the spreadsheet. Everything revolves around the spreadsheet, the spreadsheet, the spreadsheet, the spreadsheet. I personally think that there is a lot of value beyond that spreadsheet, but a lot of times it's really hard to get people to, you know, get outside of this really small window and get away from Excel and really get into what really a supplier brings. And so, and and a lot of times, you know, you can't really see that just in a spreadsheet. So, what what do you look for beyond the spreadsheet?
SPEAKER_00More tab. No, I'm just kidding. Love the spreadsheets now. I'm really looking for whether the supplier actually understands what we're trying to do. You know, once again, price is the big driver for everyone. Price matters, of course. But once the numbers are close, you know, there's other things we got to take into account, like responsiveness, communication, flexibility, how well you're handling questions during this quoting process. I mean, if I ask you a follow-up question, do you answer it clearly? If they see something on the request and it doesn't make sense, do they ask me about it? Or do they just kind of ignore it and be like, oh, we'll just deal with this later? You know, is it an operational fit? There's gonna be concerned about can you support my volumes? Do you understand our lead time needs? Do you understand our go-to-market strategy? Do you have the right quality systems? I mean, there's a lot of questions you can be asking. But I think one of the biggest ones at the start that I pay attention to is really how you're showing up, you know, because that's a preview of how you're gonna do business with us once we get past the original quoting. So beyond it, I'm really looking for trust, communication, capability, and whether it feels like this will be a good long-term partnership.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So how switching the gears and flipping it back to the supplier now. So, how critical is a supplier perception rating? So I see a lot of people in supply chain that do not seem to value supplier perception. So, like for instance, you know, uh, they're just a supplier. Uh, they're just a supplier. And then those same people that have really been having a low supplier perception rating when things start really getting tight and they need things, they really don't have anywhere to go because they their supplier perception rating is so low, even with their own vendor base. And they're gonna be like, I really don't, you know, that extra favor that you need. No, I'm not, I've got this guy over here who's really good to work with. I'm not, I'd rather take care of him than him than this person. So, so how critical do you see supplier perception?
SPEAKER_00It's it's very important. And I don't honestly think it gets enough attention. You know, a lot of people just don't even think about it. Like you mentioned with COVID, suppliers are making decisions too. They're deciding which customer gets their best salespeople, you know, their ideas, their lead times, and like you mentioned, capacity. Because during COVID, if you didn't have good relationships, your business might not have survived those times. You know, we all felt that. If your company is hard to work with or you're slow to respond, or you're unclear in your expectations, you know, suppliers are gonna say, hey, this person is difficult to work with, you know. I don't really care to prioritize them or make them the top, top of my list for getting material or materials or handling their contract, you know. And I'm not advocating for you to be easy on them or avoid hard conversations. You know, there's there's a difference there, but you have to treat them good, especially. Like once again, I'm gonna harp on the partnership thing. It's a partnership between both companies. So you have to be a good customer too, to have good suppliers. Okay.
SPEAKER_01That's great. That's that's really good. I wish a lot more people were like that. Um, obviously, when you're in sales, you're looking for that supplier, that that that client of choice, right? And so, and you you you try to bucket them and prioritize where where they fit in. And and sometimes there's there's some people that are kind of at the bottom of the list. So let's switch gears again, going going into some other things. So if you are a category manager for a company, how critical is it for you to know everything about that category? I see a lot of people in sourcing that have no idea about the category they're sourcing. Now, you had mentioned earlier in our chat here that, you know, knowing the specifications and and understanding them. So, so in this world of where supply chain people move around quite a bit, they're all over the place. How critical is the uh, you know, knowing what you're actually sourcing?
SPEAKER_00You know, it's it's important, but I don't think it's the most critical. You know, you have to know enough to make good decisions. Kind of like driving a car. I don't know how every single part of the car works, but I know enough of the basics to know, hey, if this light comes on, I need to go do this or I need to bring someone in to help me. But everyone kind of starts somewhere. So as long as they're asking good questions and they're understanding cost drivers and risks and the key specs, that's what really matters for the business. Otherwise, you know, they're just it becomes too easy to chase the lowest number. You know, you you're not gonna walk in and be an expert, but you have to be curious enough to learn and ask questions. So I think it's everyone starts somewhere. And if they have a good overall understanding, that will take them further to be in it.
SPEAKER_01Okay. That's that's a great, I didn't mean to interrupt you there, but that was a great answer. Really, really good. So yeah, I mean, I I don't, I don't and I don't understand how my car works by any stretch of the imagination, but I know I know where to go to take it to a good mechanic. So there you have it. All right, so let's dive into the pillars of supply chain. So I'm gonna give you four pillars.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01And and I can repeat them at any time. So you've got number one would be assurance of supply. Number two would be risk mitigation, and I think you're writing them down right now. So wow, there, there you go. Uh, and then we've got cost removal and we've got cost avoidance. So I've got those four. How would you rank them one to four? Which one, which one would be number one?
SPEAKER_00I actually think I would rank them in the order you said, pretty much. So I would put assurance of supply number one because in manufacturing, if you can't get material, the rest of the conversation kind of doesn't matter, does it? You can have the best price in the world, but if the part isn't there, when you need to produce it, nobody really cares how good your savings float.
SPEAKER_01That's true. That's why I I'm always one to say that inventory trumps freight every day of the week and twice on Sunday. So you could have a supplier right next door to you, but if they don't have it, the guy in you know, in in Cleveland, Ohio, who maybe three days away always has it, he might win every single time. So if you go now to risk mitigation, so risk mitigation is an interesting thing right now. You've got this whole thing that's going on with trade and tariffs and you know, having things that are if on the manufacturing side made and melted in the USA, and you've got, you know, rules and and everything like that. How do you how do you view risk mitigation, you know, in today's climate, in today's supply chain climate?
SPEAKER_00Well, I put that one number two. Like you said, it involves things like dual sourcing, understanding capacity, watching financial health, watching tariffs. You need to know where the weak parts are in your supply chain before they become emergencies. So yeah, that one's really important too. But I put it at number two, because once again, you got to have product.
SPEAKER_01Very good. Very good. Now, as far as cost removal, you know, that is an interesting one too, because you know, the C-suite people are all about cost removal, cost removal, cost removal. And it seems like to me, a lot of the supply chain people, they they default cost removal to price negotiation. In other words, they default going into price negotiation and they they just see that as cost removal when there's a whole world of cost removal that could be removed just by simply looking at things internally. So, so how do you, I know you've touched on it earlier, but how are you viewing cost removal? If a supplier can bring cost removal to the table, you know, how is that looked upon from a uh strategic sourcing person?
SPEAKER_00Well, I mean, of course, very favorably, because the supply chain is is huge and it involves so many different areas. So if you can take cost out of areas, that does add up quickly. To become actual real substantial savings, you know, and you're not just moving costs from one place to another, which is another thing you have to be careful of. So you have to make sure you're actually taking it out and not adding costs or risk back into different sections of it.
SPEAKER_01I hadn't thought about that piece too. I mean, you could easily say, okay, I'm going to take cost out of this, but the freight's more, but I freight's not in my in my cost bucket over here. The freight guy's going to get it. So so yeah, so that's a that's an interesting one right there.
SPEAKER_00You know, everything's connected. Go ahead. I said everything's connected.
SPEAKER_01It seems that it seems that way.
SPEAKER_00If we hit the last one, you know, cost avoidance, that one matters too. But I put that one last because that one's a little bit fuzzy. You know, it's valuable. You want to make sure we're not putting ourselves, patting ourselves on the back for really avoiding a cost that may or not have actually happened. And also, you know, what if a supplier comes and says, Oh, I'm going to give you a 7% raise and you you negotiate a 5% and you're like, oh, look, cost avoidance. Well, I mean, like, is that a real cost based on a real number? So that one's, you know, that one's always kind of a little fuzzy for me. But so I think it is.
SPEAKER_01It is. It's very subjective. And so that is the thing about cost avoidance. And it is the hardest thing for a sales rep to sell a strategic sourcing person unless a strategic sourcing person has been burned before. And then you can say, well, hey, do you want to get burned again? I've got this program that's going to avoid you from getting burnt. So in other words, it's kind of like sunscreen, right? So, you know, you go out in the sun, you get burnt, and then you're like, you know what, I'm not going to do that again. I'm going to buy some sunscreen over here. So, so, you know, so it is the hardest thing to sell to C-suite people. It's hard for salespeople, and it's even harder for strategic sourcing people to sell cost avoidance because the C-suite person is going to say, well, you just need to buy better. And so that is going to be the thing that I see all the time with regard to cost avoidance.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that makes sense. So, my short answer, I'll sum it up. I'll say keep the business running first, protect it from risk second, then go after cost in a way that is real and sustainable.
SPEAKER_01Awesome. Very good. So, what is the one thing? I think you kind of touched on it earlier, but let's let's go back to it again. What is the one thing about salespeople that you absolutely hate? Okay, we talked about going to the top of the mailbox thing. Okay, that's number one. But can is there a 1A or is there a two that you're that you're looking at?
SPEAKER_00I have a list, but I will keep it, I'll keep it shorter. Okay. I say cold calls, but no, I'm just kidding. My biggest one really is, I think, would be when their confidence turns into cockiness. You know, confidence is great, but I don't want to work with someone who knows their product and is like just like, I'm not listening to anything else you say. You know, this is it, you're buying it. I don't care what your business does. Boom, done. It's like, okay, well, that was a useful conversation. I say another big one is when they talk over you or they don't really hear your concerns. So they're kind of tied together a little bit. Like if I'm explaining a constraint or past issue or something, and they're not really listening, they're just listening to respond. And I'm like, okay, let me get back to your pitch, I guess, because I'm not buying from you. But you know, the good people, good salespeople are confident, but they're curious and they ask good questions and they listen. And that I think that's the big part. So make sure you're you're listening and you're not just being like, you know, I'm I'm the best sales guy in the world and you're gonna buy from me and that's it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I I think it it's it's a tough situation for salespeople because you you want to treat your as a customer. So you know, one thing I'm I'm really I say to pretty much all my clients is I'm gonna be very direct with you and I'm gonna treat you like a client, not as a customer, because if I'm gonna treat you like a customer, I'm gonna tell all the things that you want to hear to get an order, or I'm gonna talk to you as a client, meaning that here's some things maybe to be thinking about. You may not want to hear them, but there may these are the things that I would be thinking about if I was in your shoes. And actually, I think if you're up front and tell them and ask their permission, hey, can I treat you the this way up front? I think they will be more receptive to it as opposed to just going in like a bull in a china shop and not understanding, you know, who your audience is. So so as far go ahead. That's a great point. Well, thank you. Thank you. So uh as far as other things, so should strategic sourcing people be open to looking at ways to improve their sourcing, even if they have successfully negotiated a contract with a supplier. So one thing I see in a lot of different industries is especially the ones that handle multiple, multiple SKUs or multiple different things. Once they negotiate a contract with somebody, they're done and they forget about it until the next negotiation happens. So I I've seen that a lot. And I don't know if it's because people are busy or they have too many, uh, too many things that they have to source or whatever. But what are your thoughts on that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, of course. I mean, that's that's the start. A sign contract doesn't mean your work is done. You know, it means you have a starting point. You you have I'm not saying that you constantly go back and reopen every deal or beat the supplier up about a after the contract is signed. You know, that's not really a partnership, but you need to keep asking, is this still working? Are we are there ways to reduce waste? Are there ways to improve lead time and simplify ordering, improve quality, and take other costs out of the process? You know, the best sourcing people aren't just going to negotiate a contract and disappear. You have to manage the relationship and track performance and look for improvements on both sides. So yeah, it's not a one and done. It's it's a continuous process.
SPEAKER_01Awesome. Okay. Well, that's uh that's good to hear. So so what do C-suite executives have the hardest time understanding with regard to supply chain management? So, you know, obviously you may have a C-suite person that is, you know, heavily involved in technology, but may not understand supply chain, or they came from sales and maybe don't understand supply chain, or even they came from operations and don't understand supply chain. So, what is what are some of the things that C-suite people have a hard time grasping?
SPEAKER_00That we don't have a magic button is what I would say. I I think the main point would be understanding how connected everything is. You know, we're not supply chain isn't just buying parts or chasing late orders. Like there's every decision is a trade-off. If you want lower inventory, you may increase your risk. If you want lower costs, you may give up flexibility. If you want shorter lead times, you may have to pay for it somewhere else. So you cannot always have the lowest cost, perfect service, zero risk, no inventory. Like I would love that, but that's just not how supply chains work. So I think the best ones would understand that it's also a business strategy function. You know, it's not just an operating expense. Because, like you talked about in the beginning of it, you know, we impact cash, revenue, customer service, production, quality, growth. You know, if your supply chain is not agile, you can't grow your business. You can't absorb new orders or pivot to adjust whatever might need from the customer. So supply chain being a system, you know, leadership has to understand the trade-offs inside that system so everyone can make better decisions for the business. Good.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So tell us a little bit. Uh, I know you you're you've got your your consulting company is the way that I'm understanding it. And I would say that based off of this, just based off of this um podcast, somebody should be hiring you on a regular basis to be able to manage their supply chain. So I I like your business model. And so tell us a little bit about it because as as I see it, there is a ton of turnover within companies and supply chain management. So, so I I, you know, I always I always look at all these different people that move around, you know, from different job to job. And and it's hard to get continuity within a supply chain when you're constantly having to restaff with different people, whether it's at the procurement level or sourcing level or or wherever. So I like your model. What is your what is your go-to-market strategy for for what you're doing?
SPEAKER_00Well, that's great. So, you know, if dealing with supplier issues, like that's what we've talked about for a little bit here, that are disrupting production, delaying customer orders, hurting your margins, or just creating constant fire cutting, that's what I'm doing with my global supply chain advisors consulting. So I come in and I help manufacturers get control of their supply problems by identifying what's really kind of driving the issue. So is it a supplier gap? Is it an internal process breakdown related to the supply chain? Is it both? You know? So my goal really is to come in and stabilize the supply, improve performance from the suppliers, and stop problems from becoming production problems so that you're getting product out the door to your customers.
SPEAKER_01Okay. That's great. And on the manufacturing side, that is that is good to have because there's so many challenges on you know, sourcing and the manufacturing side with everything that's going on, longer lead times, supply gaps, you know, changes in you know, strategy and so on and so forth. So I I I like what you're doing. That's great. So anything else that you'd like to add? So again, this podcast is all about you. So uh thank you for being on. But just one more thing. Is there anything that you'd like to add?
SPEAKER_00No, I appreciate you having me on. I I get passionate, I love talking about supply chain. It's like, how long do you have? Do you have all day? I chat about it. We can talk about tariffs, we can talk about anything you want. But no, I appreciate the time and having me on. It was it was a lot of fun. You had great questions, and I hope I can help some salespeople who see this bring value to their clients as well, you know, help them bring better ways to communicate that will help solve problems on both sides.
SPEAKER_01I'm certain from anybody that watches this podcast on the sales side and will get something out of it. I got something out of it, so thank you. And I'm sure our guests will as well. What is the best way for companies to connect with you? Is it on LinkedIn? Is that probably the easiest way to connect with you to learn your okay?
SPEAKER_00Reach out to me on LinkedIn. I'd love to connect and have a chat about your supply chain and problems.
SPEAKER_01Awesome. Okay, great. Well, thank you so much for being on, and we may have you on again sometime. So thanks again. Thanks again, Melissa. Thank you. Take care.