Jonathan O'Brien

Jonathan O'brien

Jonathan O’Brien is chief executive officer of Positive Purchasing Ltd.

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Procurement Must Rethink Supply Base Role

It’s not just individual suppliers that are changing as a result of the pandemic, but entire industries. And, procurement will be figuring out how to source from and manage suppliers in these new industries.

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Mastering Negotiation: Conquer the Enemy Within

Mastering negotiation requires a mix of skills and knowledge together with an understanding of things that happen at a subconscious level.

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5 Winning Ways to Build Negotiation Rapport

Before your next negotiation, take some time to rehearse the rapport building techniques, as the more you do this, the better you’ll become.

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Making Multi-Party Negotiations Work on Your Terms

Multi-party negotiations are, without question, more complex and challenging than a two-party process, as they involve trying to reach agreement with three or more parties, each with its own interests and priorities.

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How to Use Agile Thinking to Help Build Joint Collaborative Relationships

10 steps to building collaborative relationships within the supply chain.

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What the Future Holds for Category Management

No matter what the future holds, there are some things that won’t change.

Jonathan O'brien

How to Make Sense of Supplier Segmentation

While the segmentation process determines who is important, it’s the outputs from segmentation, and specifically the basis upon which a supplier has been deemed important, that determine the degree and nature of intervention required.

Jonathan O'brien

How to Manage and Stay in Control of Supplier Relationships

Even though it’s a professional business relationship, a degree of social interaction is essential to help define the relationship between the individuals involved.

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Supplier Review Meetings: A 5-Step Process to Running a Review Meeting

Why are supplier reviews so important? In brief, it’s because they allow you to manage the most important of strategic relationships, those with your key suppliers, more effectively.