As we are in the last week before Christmas, it is a good time to remember the importance of keeping your suppliers happy. To often we as buyers can easily forget that behind the supplier is a person or a group of people that are there to help us and not just blank faces to order our goods and services.
I always get questions as to how I can achieve favorable rates or terms in tough situations. The best thing I can advise is to remember that the people you work with in the company you purchase from have to earn your respect and know they can trust you. There are many ways to achieve this and each person or group responds differently, but if you can build this trust you will have a voice inside that company that helps you in sticky situations or helps you achieve favorable terms in contract negotiations.
With the holidays rapidly approaching, it is a good time to recap where you stand with your suppliers and determine if you need any extra efforts to help enter 2011. Did any of your supplier’s sales team give you extra effort to get you out of a jamb in 2010? Did any of them go beyond their responsibility to help you close a deal? Did you fall short of any promises you made to a sales team but they still stood by your side? Any of these things might be a good reason to send an extra thanks or personal note.
Lastly, don’t forget the individuals that work on the account behind the scenes. Sending a holiday card to the sales engineer or the AR accounting clerk will strengthen your overall relationship with the supplier. Better yet, send a note to the individual’s boss telling them the good work they did for you. These are small things you can do to help conditions lean your way when it comes time for the critical negotiations in 2011.
Happy Holidays!
The Tidal Telecom Team
