The ideal vendor. If you listed all the attributes of the ideal vendor what would it include?
- Quick response time.
- Professional appearance.
- Knowledgeable staff.
- Great customer service.
- Friendly and approachable employees.
- Trustworthy.
- Reputable.
I’m sure we could list many others, but the point is we know the qualities of an ideal vendor. In the circles we travel there are, no doubt, several individuals within the same profession, whether it’s banking, personal finances, signage, promotional items, printing, or law. If we stop to think about those individuals in a particular industry, say printing, I’m willing to bet that you favor one person over another. And I’m also willing to bet that you know why you do. It all comes down to the qualities we prefer in an ideal vendor.
When it comes to our business, whether you are the owner or not, we need to be very selective with whom we align ourselves with. While we may like one vendor over another because of their personality or friendship, the bottom line rests on how they compare to the ideal. Now that’s not to say we cut ties with our personal preferences, but rather what type of relationships it will require to sustain and grow our business. It may mean that we use one vendor for the smaller jobs and another for more complex, or that we engage one vendor personally and another professionally. Either way, we need to be strategic.
You have invested too much time and hard work into building your business to neglect the impact that a wrong vendor choice will make. Please choose wisely.
Keep it disciplined.