An impressive panel of Supplier Diversity experts brought together by the FCC.

DIR took the time to listen to this impressive panel of Supplier Diversity experts and recommends that you do, too. The FCC‘s Office of Communications Business Opportunities (“OCBO”) hosted a Supplier Diversity Conference and Workshop focusing on private sector business opportunities for small, minority and women-owned businesses on July 30, 2014.

"Representatives from private industry, specifically telecommunications and technology firms (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, Comcast, and Microsoft) discussed their organizations’ contracting procedures and provided insight on how small businesses should navigate the procurement process generally."

From approx. 18 to 26 minutes [18-26M; all times mentioned are approximate!], each executive recaps the process to join in the consideration for future business.

At about 38M, AT&T and Verizon spend considerable time talking about specific future opps.

The importance of Second Tier opportunity and reporting is mentioned at 57M; comments on the rather impermeable advertising industry start at 61M; "Do's and Don'ts" are at 76M including the importance of supplier branding at 80M.

Highlights include candid, but pointed, words of advice to small and diverse-owned businesses including:

• Be Strategic: research and be aware of future opportunities and directions a corporation is headed; make sure you're in alignment
• Tailor your value proposition to each corporation; supplier diversity teams can help you navigate through this process (at about 24 min.)

Here's the link. It's a fantastic 90 minutes of free! expertise on breaking in to major corporations. Please recommend and pass along. Thank you.

FCC hosted Supplier Diversity Panel

Share your latest Marketing and Information material . . .

This is a "how-to" post for diverse suppliers registered with DIR Corporate Clients. 

BACKGROUND

DIR answers suppliers’ LinkedIn connection requests with an invitation to join a LinkedIn group called “Suppliers Registered with DIR”. This group serves two functions. When we are looking for opinions or feedback, we go to this group first. In marketing jargon, we call it a “hotlist,” a vehicle for DIR to more easily reach a group of suppliers (most are certified as being diverse) knowledgeable about our products/services. It’s also a networking/sharing “bulletin” board used by diverse suppliers to exchange information with each other about successes, trials, and experiences reaching out to SD and Procurement professionals. DIR moderates all contributions to this group for privacy reasons. 

Suppliers occasionally email back with an informational PDF attached. I check the supplier’s profile in the DIR portal to see if the information is attached there, too. It rarely is, so I thought I’d blog about how to do just that: attach informational material (annual reports, fliers, flow charts, mission statements, etc.) to a supplier profile. Although DIR can upload certifications to a supplier’s profile, we cannot upload informational attachments (or change anything about your business listing) for privacy reasons. 

ACTION

If you are a registered supplier on DIR’s portal and have materials to share … please do! Perhaps you registered on DIR’s site, or via one of our corporate clients. Documents need to be under 1MB (there are a few exceptions, but try to keep it under 1 MB) and have the file suffix: .doc, .xls, .vsd (Visio), .ppt, .pdf, .gif, and .jpg. These file types are noted on the upload page, but if you’re like me, you tend to glaze over the small print!

My suggestion is to save documents as .jpgs or .pdfs because both formats are easy to condense to a smaller file size (72 dpi is fine for .jpgs online, and .pdfs can be saved as “smallest size possible” with the ‘save as’ command).

DIRECTIONS

READY? (Note! Save your file with a meaningful name like <MyCompany.2013Capabilities.jpg>, not <doc.feb.13.jpg>. This is important because, if someone saves/downloads your info to their hard drive, they can more easily find it using your company name in the search.)

SET. (Do you remember where you saved these files?)

GO!

1. Log-on to your profile (via DiversityInfoResources.com (illustrated) or a client’s site).

2. Mouse over the “My Account” tab and drop down to “Update Organizational Profile” (Note! Not “Update My Profile” right above it). 

3. Click on the hyperlinked/underlined word: Attachments

4. Click the “Choose File” button and proceed on to your own hard drive to find the document you wish to upload. 

5. Once you’ve chosen your file (you do one at a time), click the “Upload” button. You’ll be directed to a page where you can fill in more details about your document. Be brief, but targeted, and give your file (again, an informative) a name (i.e. MyCompany.MissionStatement2013). 

6. Success! You’re now done and have provided up-to-date, additional information for a sourcing company to reference.

7. Congratulations … you can view them or upload more at this point.

FAQ: Why I don't see any "Opportunity Listings" for [DIR Corporate Client] when I know there are open requisitions?

Good point! Each of DIR’s corporation/nonprofit clients uses the portal of supplier information differently. Some use it primarily for searching/sourcing vs. ‘matchmaking’ or ‘RFP’ postings. Others integrate the entire portal and its reporting capabilities into their procurement system. The best people to ask about requisitions and postings are [employees of the Corporation]. 

Typically a real-person contact* for Supplier Diversity will be either listed on their sites, or in a regional directory (sometimes) available from regional divisions of supplier advocate groups including WBENC or NAWBO, NMSDC, GLCC, etc.. Otherwise, an email or phone call may yield results, too! (Old school, I know, but supplier diversity liaisons typically are open to email and phone conversations.) 

-end

*DIR does offer a database of Supplier Diversity liaisons and Procurement Professionals, too: "Purchasing People in Major Corporations"