5 Qualities The Best People In The Sourcing Industry Have

Naiyuan Mart
March 17, 2022

There is no doubt that the supply chain is the lifeline of every business operation. From the sourcing of materials to the distribution of finished products, the supply chain is the backbone of your business as an importer.

When it comes to sourcing and procurement there are a few must-have qualities to look out for before hiring, partnering or involving a sourcing or procurement agent.

Businesses that do better in the supply chain industry do more than just hiring people who can source cheaper or faster. Instead, they look for people who have strong analytical skills, dependable decision making skills, build reliable relationships, have empathy towards the business and optimize for the growth of the organization.

Let’s get into each quality in details:

1. Strong analytical skills

A good sourcing or procurement agent must have strong analytical skills to understand supply and demand issues in the industry. This means that your procurement agent or personnel must be able to think critically, analyze data through research to solve complex problems within and for the business.

In essence, your procurement agent or personnel must also be able to predict future trends in the business and be creative enough to prepare the business for such opportunities.

2. Dependable decision-making skills

A good sourcing agent or personnel must be able to make quick and dependable decisions for the growth of the company. The ability to process information quickly and analyze which is best for the growth of the company is very crucial in the supply chain industry.

For instance, a sourcing agent with great decision making skill should be able to choose which supplier you should work with when presented with lots of options. They look at different factors within a situation and make the best and befitting decisions to come up with solutions to solve the problem.

3. Build reliable relationships

Your sourcing and procurement agent is your ticket to connect with Chinese suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, logisticians etc. Therefore it is expected that he/she knows how to build valuable and reliable relationships among these stakeholders for the growth and partnership of the business. They must be able to build strategic relationships with stakeholders, understand their needs, and maintain valuable communication across board to ensure that each relationship aligns with your business values.

4. Empathy

Empathy is the ability to feel and understand what other people feel. The skill to understand the point of view of a business, feel the same way the stakeholders feel and be sensitive to the business owners’ feelings are important qualities to look out for. This is because sourcing agents or procurement officers who tend to have this quality take the business personally in a way that they assume it is theirs. They do things and make decisions for the growth of the business rather than just “do their job”. They advise for the growth and benefit of the company.

5. Optimize for the growth of the company

A good sourcing agent and procurement officer understands that his/her actions reflect on the overall growth of the business and thus they make this the thinking point for every of their decisions. They contribute and support other departments of the company or business such as production/operations, sales as well as distribution to ensure that the business objectives are achieved.

Overall, these qualities tend to help a business hire a growth focused sourcing and procurement agent or personnel.

At Naiyuan Mart, you can depend on us to help you source quality products, raw materials and equipment from China. We pride ourselves as being the No.1 China Procurement Company in Nigeria.

Talk to our procurement expert here