| Good suppliers are essential to any business success. | | | | servicing their requests. Take the time to think about |
| Suppliers can often make or break a company, and | | | | how you've dealt with that difficult customer. Did you |
| can mean the difference between impressing your | | | | have to bite your tongue? Did you feel that you |
| own customers, or falling short of expectations. | | | | would simply do whatever it took to make them |
| Every successful business is backed by trusted | | | | stop? Now ask yourself if in doing these things, |
| suppliers that see their own growth, and that of their | | | | whether you really serviced them properly. |
| customers, as one and the same. Suppliers can lower | | | | The fact is, customers can't complain too much. If |
| inventory costs, lower purchase prices, offer | | | | they do, it'll simply fall on deaf ears. Picking your |
| favourable payment terms and be that beacon of | | | | battles is essential, and simply complaining because |
| light in hard times. Since every business needs | | | | you feel it will improve service, never will. Sales and |
| partners, why are some businesses better at | | | | customer service professionals know what realistic |
| managing their suppliers than others? More | | | | requests are. The best never need to feel guilty in |
| importantly, are there some attributes your company | | | | order to do the right thing. Now, this doesn't mean |
| should look for when deciding upon a supplier? | | | | that as a customer you should never complain. What |
| We all play two roles in business: | | | | it does mean is that as a customer you let your |
| Companies look for those perfect customers that | | | | professionalism, your business with that vendor, and |
| almost make it seam effortless to service them. | | | | your sense of urgency, speak volumes. Your business |
| Sales and customer service professionals will only go | | | | still needs to exert itself in urgent times. However, it's |
| so far when it comes to dealing with difficult clients. | | | | less about screaming, and yelling for answers, as |
| While it's true that the best sales and customer | | | | much as it is demanding them. When your suppliers |
| service teams understand that it's never acceptable | | | | anticipate your requests, or go that extra distance |
| to get upset at customers, it doesn't ignore the fact | | | | without having to be threatened, then your company |
| that it affects how they service a customer account. | | | | is on the right path. In the end, it really is about how |
| It amounts to simply telling the customer what they | | | | you manage them, as opposed to how they manage |
| want to hear, rather than going the extra distance in | | | | you. |