Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 20

FEATURESTORY

Working Partners: Building
Better Vendor-Supplier Relationships
I By Steve Woodruff

I

n pharmaceutical training and
development, there is a constant
hope of achieving a lasting and
fruitful partnership between sales
training departments and their
outsource vendors. Sometimes this
level of collaboration does come to
pass; however, the landscape is littered
with many relationships that went sour
during the co-development process.
The principles that lead to a positive
partnership are not a mystery, however.
In fact, professionals from both the
client side and the vendor side can tell
us exactly what practices tend to lead to
outsource success.
A great client-vendor relationship is
a two-way street. Smart vendors
embrace solid relationship- and
project-management practices – and,
so do great clients. Just as vendors
strive to help their clients succeed, so

training departments can take
straightforward steps to ensure a
successful partnership.
In this article, we’ll share 20 best
practices as we look at both sides of the
coin. Following these 10 tips for great
clients and 10 tips for great suppliers
will help create smoother, more
successful relationships.

Client Commandments
We can sum up what clients are
seeking in their outsource partnerships
in one simple sentence: Make our lives
easier, and make us look good.
Expanding on that, let’s look at the
Top 10 expectations articulated by
pharmaceutical training professionals
in a recent (informal) survey. Vendors
who take these practices to heart will
be the winners in the short- and longterm!

1. Be honest and clear about your
capabilities
This message is overwhelmingly one
of the most common concerns
expressed by clients. When vendors
position themselves as a do-it-all
agency, they fail to differentiate – and
they appear dishonest in the process.
In the words of surveyed clients:

“Define your strike zone. Also
share where your capabilities
end – what you’re not adept at.
Everyone says they can do
everything.”
Advice: Stop with the sea of bullet
points in your capabilities presentation.
Rank order your one or two top
capabilities, and build ONE memorable
and differentiating message.

2. Communicate sensibly and add
value
Clients don’t want to be pestered.
Most training professionals are doing
far more with much less time.
However, by being an information
resource, you stand a much better
chance of gaining an audience. If you’re
not adding value, you’re subtracting
time.

“We are beyond busy, and get
calls from vendors every day.
Repeat phone calls that don't
tell me anything or don't sound
genuine or interesting won’t
make me call you.”
Advice: Offer to provide an
educational lunch-and-learn for the
department. This provides genuine
value and very productive face time.
20

FOCUS | FALL 2013 | www.spbt.org


http://www.spbt.org

Focus Magazine - Fall 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Fall 2013

Focus Magazine
From the President: Field-Based Trainers
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Guest Editor: Focus on the New Learner
Front of the Room: Transitioning to Input
From Paper to Pad: Taking Training Digital at Eisai
Building Better Vendor-Supplier Relationships
The Only Two Questions that Matter About Training
Gamification: It's More than Just a Game
Member Solutions: Focus on Mentoring
Seven Strategies to Engage Managers in Learning
Boosting Sales Effectiveness with Better Field Collaboration
Virtual How: Gamification
Member News
The Long and Winding Road to the C-Suite
Ad Index
Focus Contacts
5 Questions with Ralph Jacobson
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Intro
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Focus Magazine
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Cover2
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 3
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 4
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - From the President: Field-Based Trainers
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 6
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Table of Contents
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 8
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Table of Contents
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 10
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Guest Editor: Focus on the New Learner
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 12
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Front of the Room: Transitioning to Input
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 14
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - From Paper to Pad: Taking Training Digital at Eisai
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 16
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 17
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 18
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 19
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Building Better Vendor-Supplier Relationships
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 21
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 22
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 23
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 24
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 25
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - The Only Two Questions that Matter About Training
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 27
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 28
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 29
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Gamification: It's More than Just a Game
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 31
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Member Solutions: Focus on Mentoring
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 33
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 34
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 35
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Seven Strategies to Engage Managers in Learning
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 37
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 38
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 39
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Boosting Sales Effectiveness with Better Field Collaboration
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 41
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Virtual How: Gamification
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 43
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 44
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Member News
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - The Long and Winding Road to the C-Suite
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 47
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Ad Index
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Focus Contacts
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 5 Questions with Ralph Jacobson
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Cover3
Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - Cover4
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