But We ARE a Relationship Company
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Nearly every organization that I interact with has a similar approach when it comes to selling their products or services: "We are about value, not the lowest price." "We want to build a mutually beneficial relationship with you, our client or customer." "We want to add value to your business by understanding your needs and bringing you solutions." Sound familiar? I thought so.
How does it feel when our prospects insist that we engage in a bidding process or rely solely upon written proposals? We rebel, insisting we are more than just a vendor; we add value beyond price or a list of features or services. Sounds good doesn't it? It sounds like we ARE all about relationships, until the time comes to interact with OUR vendors.
Two Face from the Batman series is a good mascot for how some of us operate businesses. On the selling side, we want to be perceived as relationship builders. On the buying side, we end up treating our vendors like superficial transactions. We want the lowest price. We want our vendors to go through a competitive bidding process. We want our vendors to submit written proposals, and we deny them the opportunity to share their "difference." We do to our vendors precisely what we hate having done to us.
I am suggesting that our true nature is revealed not in our "talk" or even our selling "walk," but rather in how we interact with our vendors. Our true essence - as transactional or relational - is discovered in how we buy from others, not how we sell to our prospects. Let's stop kidding ourselves - we cannot be relational sellers and "partners" if we are transactional buyers.
Imagine this conversation with one of your prospects: "We want you to treat us like a relationship and a valued partner, but we do not treat our vendors that way. We treat our vendors as "vendors," but we do not want you to treat us that way." Do you see the problem? We are one or the other - transactional or relational - and the question is often answered by looking at how we interact with our vendors.
This is one of the often missed challenges during an economic downturn. The best defense during a challenging economic period is strong relationships with your clients and customers, but one of the first defensive tactics is a recession is to try to cut costs at the expense of our vendors. We do to our vendors precisely what we hope that our clients and customers will not do to us. It's a recipe for disaster.
If you are committed to building relationships in and through your organization, then carry your commitment through to interactions and dealings with your vendors. The Golden Rule states: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." In the world of relationships, that translates to: "Build relationships with people who want to do business with YOU and watch as relationships with people YOU want to do business with are built". As in all things, the choice is yours!
