Do you ever buy multiple versions of the same thing?  If so, you’re losing the power of your purchasing dollar.

You might have a list of standard items such as toners, paper and pens that the company regularly purchases. If every division or business unit buys its favourite brand or style, you might find that your budget has been blown out of the water.

So if you stick to a smaller basket of goods – make three types of pens available instead of 20 – you get better control on what you’re spending and you’ll get a better price on those three pens.

It’s also important to standardise this list of products so that all team members are ordering from the same list. Then if you have multiple locations, standardising and rationalising the products on offer will mean that everyone is ordering from a consolidated list, adding once again to your buying power.

This strategy also means you can carry a smaller range and less stock, thereby freeing up office and storage space within your premises.