You may say a purchasing agent is a specialist at shopping, but there is way more to this position than simply purchasing goods for companies. Purchasing agents make sure supplies are ordered in a timely manner to ensure supply chain continuity, monitor inventories, and figure out ways to improve supply chains. This involves evaluating suppliers and merchandise, negotiating and renegotiating deals and contracts with suppliers, and monitoring the market for changes in price and demand as well as for the emergence of new products.

Through all their responsibilities, purchasing agents actually play a significant role in a company’s innovation, growth, and cost-savings! As such, those that are really good at what they do are considered to be quite valuable assets to companies, and are presented with interesting career advancement paths. Keep reading to find out if you should consider a purchasing agent career after completing business school.

A Purchasing Agent Career is a Great Option if the Way Supply Chains Work Fascinates You

Purchasing agents perfect supply chains to make them as effective as possible. Business diploma holders know this is about much more than just finding a certain product for a low price. Truly optimizing supply chains involves taking into account all of the intricate details that make them up, like quality, delivery time, and delivery costs.

For example, you may need to find suppliers that can provide both a product and satisfactory packaging so that this process is not unnecessarily divided into two steps. If sustainability is one of your employer’s business objectives, you may also need to take into consideration a supplier’s manufacturing footprint. If every aspect of a product’s creation, potential supplementary products, delivery, and more fascinates you, a purchasing agent career may be for you.

Making supply chains more efficient is the essence of a purchasing agent’s job

Purchasing Agents are Great Communicators and Negotiators

The work of a purchasing agent involves frequent communication by phone, email, and in person. This mostly involves building rapport with existing suppliers, investigating new ones, and negotiating deals, as well as occasionally troubleshooting delivery issues or gathering intelligence about market supply and demand.

All of these activities require your communication and active listening skills to be top-quality. Not only do you need to be able to hone in on any cues your suppliers and negotiating partners may give you, but you also need to be able to communicate what you think could be a good solution to a deal or problem. Effective procurement is all about striking a perfect balance between the needs of multiple parties, and your role as purchasing manager is to leverage what you know and learn to get great deals beneficial to all.

Procurement Can Put the Financial and Numerical Skills You Learn on Your Business Diploma to Good Use

When purchasing agents are not negotiating deals, they might just be poring over numbers to help them make their next procurement decisions. Besides keeping track of how they are handling their purchasing budgets and optimizing supply chains, they are also keeping their company’s inventories in mind. Keeping on top of these numbers helps them know when they should make the next purchase of a certain item to ensure stock doesn’t run out.

Sometimes purchasing agents might also need to conduct market analysis – a key skill graduates of business programs have – to track product demands and monitor evolving prices. By keeping close track of this data, they will be better able to negotiate fair prices from their suppliers, and will also know when they might need to order less or more of a certain product.

Purchasing agents may often analyze data to inform their next procurement decisions

Are you interested in entering the dynamic world of business?

Contact Willis College to learn about our business administration diploma program!