Blog

By Brett Colbert, Chief Procurement Officer, MDC Partners

During my years as procurement professional, I have been asked the same question time and time again – how do you work so well with marketers?

Sure, the relationship between procurement and marketing has gotten better over the years. But, let’s put our emotions on the table and show all our cards, because it’s time for us to take our relationship to the next level to work and live happily together, rather than merely among each other. We need to truly understand how marketing and procurement can more effectively align to deliver quicker and better results through collaboration.

Procurement professionals have been trained in this profession – or competition – to know our enemy. But those training books are now gathering shelf dust because collaboration is suddenly the new competition. Here is my view on how we can effectively team up to compete and succeed in this new era.

Understand Their Needs

Marketers will only collaborate with procurement when procurement really understands what marketing is and how marketing is being measured. We know that marketers want to increase brand performance, brand health and sales. However, to obtain those results we need to work with marketers as peers, rather than have them play teacher. Be proactive in building your relationship and immerse yourself in the marketer’s world. Everyone has different needs. By understanding and caring about the marketer’s business you will prove that ultimately you want to achieve the same goals they do. You’ll be welcomed as their partner and given a seat at their table.

Understand What We Offer

An unfortunate percentage of marketers still think we are only here to ruin relationships. And that we focus on taking cost out of the equation rather than getting the best value at the best cost. But at the same time, it’s hard for marketers to put a price tag on value. The truth is we can enable marketers to foster relationships and add value during their courtship. In order to resolve that misunderstanding we have to talk to one another. Talk to marketers and define where you can bring success. If in fact a marketer’s worth is measured by delivering increased results for the brand including brand performance, brand health and sales results, then prove where your expertise can be additive and provide a fresh perspective in one or more of those areas to improve performance.

Understand Your Competitive Edge

In this now friendly competition, collaboration is the competitive edge. To gain this edge, understand your expertise, your core competencies and the resources at your disposal. Use them early and often. A great time to do this would be when marketers are developing new relationships. This allows you to strategically collaborate throughout the duration of the relationship, which will have a far greater impact on creating and gaining a competitive edge. Don’t relegate yourself to foreplay antics, which never evolve into a dynamic, loving relationship. A new relationship is the time to build trust and define your respective goals. Then use your knowledge to get results that will help marketers achieve their goals faster and more efficiently by investing to get more, not buying to get less.
Through collaboration, marketers and procurement have started to work well together to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. Right now, they are each other’s only real competition.

Brett Colbert
Passionate about delivering genuine value and driving results through collaboration, Chief Procurement Officer of MDC Partners, Brett Colbert works with MDC partner firms and agencies to optimize clients’ marketing investments. After over a decade in executive management at both adverting and media agencies, Brett began building marketing procurement teams for major brands. Having led Global teams at Time Warner, Nestlé and Anheuser-Busch InBev, Brett eventually returned to the Agency world, joining MDC Partners in 2012.