Why You Should Invest in Your Vendor-relationship
Let’s Talk About Vendors — Treat Them Well, Hold Them Close
I hold my vendors and agencies in high regard. And I think a better way to describe them will be partners. They are the enablers of our success.
So in-house marketers/communications professionals, here’s why you should invest in your vendor-relationship.
(1) Vendors are your best teachers.
My first teachers after graduating were my vendors. They taught me what I needed to know to function at work, to survive and to succeed.
My PR agency taught me the ropes of the media, from crafting stories to how to get your brand out there and the most important of all, why it is essential for anything you put out to be newsworthy or have some value to offer to the audience.
My printing company taught me about artwork specifications, what a colour proof is, how to do a press check and how there are so many different types of paper stock, printing technologies and finishing to leverage in designing your brand’s image.
I can go on about how all of them have taught me things that few would otherwise have the patience to teach me about. They taught me because they need me to understand what they do. To help them help me, so we can all succeed.
(2) Accumulated “brownie points” can save your life (in the context of your job).
When you have a good working relationship going on with your vendors, you realise that in time, you “save each other’s lives”. Most of the time, it is them saving our lives.
I recall my first mistake in printing — a typo on the cover of a book. I panicked and called my vendor at once. Being the veterans they are, they were able to come up with a solution immediately; printing stickers to paste over the typo (same-day delivery!) and even reprinting whatever that’s left to produce, all without extra cost. This is also why I avoid over-bargaining with my vendor’s quoted price. I understand the price buffer is there for a reason, profiteering intentions aside.
The team worked extra hard for me, to ensure all goes smoothly. After all, my success is their success.
Another common example is in the context of email marketing. Days do happen where mistakes appear — the wrong list, a typo, a wrong promo-code, possible disasters are aplenty and when the crucial time comes, your partner goes out of their way to stop that blast for you.
(3) They are an extension of you.
This builds on point 2, where your success is their success and vice versa. I appreciate the camaraderie that comes along with the vendor-client relationship. I love the autonomy of being an individual contributor. But I don’t deny the benefits of having a team mate to bounce ideas off, get another expert input, or just to engage in a creative brainstorming session.
This is where my vendors come in. They’re like an extension of me. The value I bring to my company is a refined version of the raw discussions I have with my vendors. This comes in especially useful when in the role of a generalist. You are the in-house expert of the brand’s directions, key messages and best outcomes but you might not be an expert in paid advertising, content curation and video production all at the same time. Their expertise is invaluable to the success of my project.
Whenever I get on-board with a new vendor, I always make it a point to let them know that we are a team, that we are in this together. I believe in nurturing that relationship and in “vendor servicing”. I’ve noticed how “vendor servicing” has helped me produced the best work I can.
I’ve had my fair share of bad experiences with vendors as well but the good clearly outshines it all.
Make it a point to surprise and delight your vendors too. A small gesture of appreciation goes a long way.
