Are you a CFO or finance manager, and your SaaS spending is exploding year after year? According to Gartner, you are overpaying by an average of 30% for SaaS solutions.
One solution: have a buyer who will manage these purchases and help you make substantial savings.
But there are a lot of uncertainties, which our purchasing expert guests will answer:
At the end of this podcast, you will know how to integrate a buyer profile that suits your organization while avoiding common pitfalls.
The podcast is in French only 🇫🇷
Below you will find a summary of the most important elements in English.
You can lock your phone while continuing to play the podcast.
00:00 - 05:00 : Introduction
06:00 - 15:00 : Why a start up should have a buyer ? Why can't a CFO negotiate on his own?
15:00 - 23:00 : When to start working with a buyer?
A large part of turnover for SMEs, is linked to IT purchases.
The right timing to get a buyer was as soon as possible. Another important point discussed was the need to consider external services and expertise for IT purchases, especially for smaller SMEs that may not have the resources for a full-fledged purchasing organization. As the SME grows, it may then consider equipping itself with its own organization.
The speakers also shared tips on how to optimize IT purchases, such as negotiating leases and contracts, and regularly reviewing and updating IT solutions. They emphasized the importance of having a structured and organized approach to IT purchases.
23:00 - 28:00 : What are the blocking points for setting up a purchasing department?
The main blocking points to having a buyer in a startup, are related to the perception that purchasing processes can slow down decision-making and add complexity.
People may also question the need for a buyer if negotiation is the only perceived role. Furthermore, companies may try to avoid implementing a structured purchasing framework in the early stages, instead relying on ad hoc methods to obtain the necessary materials. Another challenge for a buyer in a startup is accessing reliable information and mapping commitments, especially when there are no structured purchasing and corporate services.
28:00 - 34:00 : What advice would you give to a company looking to implement a purchasing department?
To correctly set up a "scoping" phase of a purchasing department, which involves defining what is expected and the potential gains versus the costs.
For example, a junior buyer may will get a range salary of 40-50 K / year while a purchasing manager may be 50-70K/year.
Our speakers emphasize the importance of putting costs in relation to gains and considering whether to handle the function internally or externally. In recent years, more purchasing departments are outsourcing certain purchases to companies, particularly when the technical nature and evolution of the purchasing categories don't make sense to handle in-house.
The three questions to ask are: what is expected from the purchasing function, what is the business case, and should it be done internally or externally?
34:00 - 40:00 : How long does it take on average to see the results of a purchasing department?
Here our speaker discussed about the potential for quick wins in purchasing, such as organized negotiations and renewals. They also highlight the importance of medium and long-term strategies for structuring relationships, processes, and decision-making.
Depending on the focus, whether it be financial or risk-oriented, results can come quickly and purchasing can be seen as a profit center rather than a cost center. However, to truly see the value, it may take a year and a half to two years to automate processes and track KPIs.
40:00 - 45:00 : A short conclusion!
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask an expert. It will be easier to make a decision if you have the necessary feedback.
To book a Q&A session, feel free to book a time slot here, there is no obligation.
About our guests:
Shadow IT is present for a company of any size and we always identify 3x more tools than our customers thought. If you spend less than $400k annually on SaaS tools, we'll identify fewer saving opportunities than a client who spends millions, but we'll help you quickly implement a data-driven buying strategy to prevent this wasteful situation from occurring and keep you focused on your business.
The security of your data is our primary concern. Which is why we have taken appropriate measures to protect your business.
You are free to add any budget owners or anyone involved in SaaS purchasing to streamline your procurement buying process at no additional cost to our platform.
Managing users and identities is a separate business that we don’t do. However, to bring you value and help you with this process, we have partnered with industry leaders like Okta and Auth0 so that we can help you in your Zero Trust Identity process.
We have developed a simple and intuitive solution allowing you to analyze all your SaaS inventory data through dashboard and dynamic list views based on search criteria and filters.
Spendesk is an enterprise expense management solution that allows all employees to pay for SaaS tools. Welii will provide you with insight and support to help you optimize your spending, add leverage to your negotiations, and remove the headaches associated with SaaS purchasing.
