What Type Of Vendor Are You? Salesperson or Partner?

 

 

As a Vice President of Marketing I am bombarded on a weekly basis with existing vendor phone calls as well as phone calls by potential new vendors.  Everyone has something to sell and of course it is always better than the competitors.

As I tell my Leasing Specialists, "We are not selling anything that unique"!  All two bedroom apartments have two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, closets, wall-to-wall neutral carpet or tile, window blinds and ceiling fans.  What makes the apartment unique, is you as their professional specialist.

I think the same rule applies to vendors.  Though they do not want to admit to it, a guide is a guide, a painter is a painter, a .com is a .com, a laundry company is a laundry company, accounting software is accounting software, etc.  Sure, every company has its "Bling", be it granite counter tops, maintenance inventory program, reputation management module, automated reporting ... whatever, but in the words of my grandfather, "Same sh-crap (edited), different flies"!

I once read, "It is not who you are in business, it is how you are in business".  Wow, does this ring true to my business decisions!  I listen carefully to vendors, alert to egos that cloud, statistics written as commandments, sales approaches that feel like tongue depressors ... and when I recognize these traits, I turn and RUN LIKE HELL!!!

It is funny how the human mind works, when I watch commercials on television, I am always disappointed in the ones that directly bash their competitor.  In fact, if Pepsi bashes Coke, I go out and buy Coke.  If Tide bashes All, I go out and buy All.  Just as I tell my Leasing Specialists, "Never bash your competitor".  However, you may want to lead your client to ask good questions when considering your competitors product - "I totally understand why you would want to visit Mini-Manor, it is a lovely community.  Be sure to ask about their fitness center (you know it is small) and you may want to check to see if they have a car care center (you know they don't)".

I believe there are 4 types of vendors.

1. The Blind Vendor - this is the vendor who knows nothing about your business but has the perfect product for you.On a weekly basis I receive calls from internet surfing salespeople who have found my name and/or title.  They have construction equipment to sell me, they have office equipment to sell me, they have vacation programs to sell me, etc.  Typically, I interrupt with a "Remove me from your solicitation list please".  But the most frustrating are the ones who actually have something that might be of interest to me, but don't take the time to research my specific company (i.e. Tax Credit / Income Restricted, therefore wasting my time with a market rate sales approach)
2. The Evangelist Vendor - this is the vendor that identifies your ways of error and has the product to save your business.This one ticks me off the most, much like religious fanatics.  Weekly I receive emails or phone calls from SEO strategists who have apparently gone to our website, prayed over it and the SEO Gods have told them it needs to be saved.  Quickly they construct a not so lovely written or oral message in which they ever so humbly point out our SEO sins and attempt to set up a healing session.
3. The Rock Star Vendor - this vendor believes that they first and their product second are superior, and you are a complete idiot for even considering their competitor.They are #1 listen to all of their amazing personal accomplishments.  Their company is #1 ask anyone, everyone knows.  Their strategy is #1 that is why they have no competition.  Their product is #1 they have the statistics to prove it.  Blah, blah, blah.  In the infamous words of Heidi Klum, "One day you’re in, and the next day you are out"!
4. The Vendor Partner - this vendor wants to learn more about your product and needs - in order to analyze if their product may or may not support your business efforts.  Upon becoming a partner, they want the truth - how is their product working, what can they do better, etc.I love the cold call that starts out with, "My name is John and I work for a company that specializes in multi-family housing products and services.  I don't want to waste your time, we may or may not have something that could support your business goals ... but if you ever have time and could share with me more about you, your company, your goals and areas of needs - I would love to have the opportunity to learn more and see if we can assist".  OMG, sign me up, I will meet with this vendor all day long!!!

I love vendor partners; they become part of your "Family of Success".  While sometimes I may be forced to work with the Blind, the Evangelist or the Rock Star, I do not consider them part of my family, nor ever will.  And if given the opportunity, I will put their account up for adoption in a heartbeat.

I had the good fortune of contracting with a company a few years ago whose owner had a "Vendor Partner" mentality.  When his team shared with him that I had identified weaknesses in his product and services, he did not get defensive, he invited me to an all-expense paid trip to his corporate office to meet with him and his team to discuss the issues, which ultimately lead to him putting together a customer guiding committee of sorts.  Later, I had the misfortune of him selling the company to a less receptive owner.  I unveiled to my new salesperson (who is awesome) some of my continued concerns and she and her boss truly did their best to extinguish them.  Unfortunately, the new owner is a "Rock Star".  I received an email from him and in the subject line it read, "I would cancel too".  I feel bad for my salesperson, I would hire her in a split second, but I have no time for tantrums from the top.  If I am unable to express my concerns without someone going all "Lindsay Lohan" on me, forget it!

So vendors, take heed in your style of approach, it makes a difference in our decisions. 

 

Become part of our family, know Mondays suck and stay away, stop selling more and be thankful for what we have bought, respect us as professionals and stop with the unannounced visits, train us to use what we have to the ultimate capacity (and we will want more), reward us with your non-defensive ear, recognize your product is one of many - it is YOU we are contracting, not the product.

The question is:  Do we dread doing business with you, or are you considered one of the family members?

In other words, are you WANTED … DEAD or ALIVE?