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We are all vendors to customers in some capacity and we all rely upon vendors to serve our customers so how do you value your vendors ? I recently attended a gathering of vendors for a large client of ours and was very impressed with the time and effort placed on keeping the vendors informed, on their toes and ingrained into the culture of the client organization. It fosters a team effort and strong camaraderie among competing vendors. This was the third annual event I attended and with the team building I witnessed out doing the year before, it inspired me to look at our vendor base and identify who the strong vendors were. I wanted to develop a methodology to show appreciation to them. We all expect high quality and quick for a good value (The never ending Phase I pricing saga). If you have vendors delivering this to make your firm a success then give them a little pat on the back. Historically vendors take customers to lunch, a ball game or dinner. I suggest you do the opposite and show your vendors how much you care about them as part of your team. You could name a “Vendor of the Year” or if you find someone integral to your growth, quality and success name them “Vendor of the Decade”.
Is it your driller, laboratory, GPR, Remeditation, database vendor, or equipment supplier or more along the lines or legal, insurance, benefits or accounting ? I am sure there are some standouts in these groupings. I live by my Blackberry although I do not have anyone at RIM or Verizon to show the love.
I work hard for all of my customers but cannot describe how much more inspiring it is to work with a customer that you know values you as a trusted and strategic vendor.
Have you hugged your vendor today ?
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Mike this is from LinkedIn:
Catherine Spears • How I feel about my vendor depends upon the particular one. Some of them make me feel like a valued customer & provide outstanding service. Those vendors have my high regard & I enjoy working with them. Other vendors make it hard to bite my tongue. Days that I deal with them make me wonder when I get to be the customer & taking care of my needs has importance. These are the vendors that I spend time hunting replacement vendors.
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I love the "Responsibility - what's your policy?" commercials for Liberty Mutual - someone does a good deed, someone else observes it, and it spreads, like the Pay it Forward concept. Yeah, it's an insurance commercial, but the concept is true (if a bit rarer than I think we would all like). I saw it in action this weekeng in a crowded Costco parking lot: my car and another were waiting for the same spot, so I waved them on to take it, and he waved me back to take it. A moment later, he made a point to come up to me and say "You know, I thought that was so nice of you that you should have it." How nice, right? Small, but unexpected and kind.
I think showing a little love towards a great vendor goes a long way. How great does it feel when a client gives you outstanding praise? Not only does it spread the "warm fuzzy" but it serves a business purpose of incentivizing each party to work harder and return favors for each other.
Good thoughts, Kulka.
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I think it comes down to showing respect among the project team. While performing different duties, all of the vendors are supposed to be working for the common good of the end client. This is typically orchestrated by the consultant, as they are the ones who landed the job and are the primary interface with the client. Being in such a position, I think it is the consultants responsibility to develop good relationships among the vendors to effectively complete the project. If a vendor is doing something other than desired, I try to work with them to get what is needed. Also - I think it is important to note that I have learned a few good things off of my vendors as well (ranging from drilling techniques to identifying the poison ivy at a site....).
A good "smoke test" might be to ask yourself - what would this vendor do for me if I had a project in a pinch? Would they work late to finish the job in a single day? Would they work a weekend? Would they identify and discuss potential issues that may have been missed during a planning phase? OR - would they let things fail misserably that result in higher costs because you treated them poorly? When you schedule a project with a firm, do the workers run to or away from being assigned to your job?
I'm more than posative that if I treated my vendors with little to no respect - like simple nameless rank and file contract workers - that I would need more than just calamine lotion.
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My vendors are part of the team and after 25 years, the family. They could care less if I say thanks. As long as the check cashes and I continue to feed them work, they are a happy bunch.
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I was meeting with one of my clients on Thursday to discuss the clean up status of a number of retail petroleum locations he owns though out Michigan when he hand me four tickets to Comerica Park for Sunday's 1:05 game. HE then authorized payment on some invoices and then we talked strategy. The package also included tickets to the "Pepsi Porch" which offers lunch before the game in the park ( an over $200 face value package). Boy was I pleased. I decided to "Pay it Forward" and offered them to our Client Services Coordinator and my sister.
I gaurantee the kind action was not a result of this client reading this blog !
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