Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 24

FEATURESTORY

“Repeated and or last minute
changes to deliverables or
delivery have a direct negative
effect on quality and our
income from a project.”

the point person? Who makes final
decisions? Are brand people involved?
At what point does Procurement play a
role? Set the expectations and ground
rules of engagement – surprises and
curveballs can turn a viable potential
project into a quagmire (and a waste of
resources).

6. Narrow the RFP process
If you are bidding out a project, be
sure you have selected well-targeted
vendors for whom this work is in the
strike zone. “Shotgun” RFPs, where
seemingly random vendors are invited
to bid, almost never work out well (for
either side). Vendors don’t want to
waste resources chasing inappropriate
work, nor do they want to go through
the embarrassment of turning down
business opportunities.

“Proposals and pitches cost
money, lots of money and time.
Don’t have six companies go
through the pitch process
when you are selecting one
vendor. Use your due diligence
and narrow the pitch process
down to three vendors.”
7. Give timely, ongoing feedback –
nip problems in the bud
Don’t let relationship or project
troubles fester – communicate, and, if
necessary, escalate issues until they are

resolved (recommended: Establish an
project manager/account manager
escalation ladder, for both parties, at
kickoff). Vendors don’t want to hear
only at the end of a project that you’re
dissatisfied – give them a chance to
course-correct as soon as possible.

“Share what's working as well
as what's not working. We need
to hear it all.”
8. Confine communications to a
defined project management
structure
Nothing will derail a project faster
than rogue communications! When
too many stakeholders are giving
unstructured input at various levels (on
both sides), chaos ensues. Insist that
there be sole points of contact (project
manager <-> project manager) through
which all communications flow.
9. Be aware of the impact of lastminute changes and blown
timelines.
It happens. Every project has its
hiccups. But do understand that it
often comes with a cost. Realize that
there is a very complex procedure
behind the scenes when vendors have
to adjust resources and timelines, not
only for your project, but also for all
their other client projects in-house.

10. Allow your vendor/partners to
make progress
Vendors can best become partners if
they grow their business with your
company. The more they understand
your people, processes, brands, and
approaches, the better their work can
be.
Help your partners network within
your organization. Referring a valuable
partner who can be a resource to
another person within your company
will reflect well on you, too.

“Clients should hope to grow
the relationship with a vendor
so that it becomes a
partnership over time. A
vendor can be more successful
when he knows what the inner
workings are for a client and he
can give a bigger return for the
spend. Be open and you will be
amazed at how much value a
vendor can provide.”

Summary
A true partnership is not an
antagonistic relationship. Everyone
wins when the right vendor is chosen
for the work, and optimal processes are
followed to ensure success. This quote
is quite representative of the best types
of vendor/partners:

“I wish clients knew how much
we care about their business
success in the same way that
we care about our own
business success.” I

Steve Woodruff is president of Impactiviti, a vendor selection/management consultancy. Email Steve at stevew@impactiviti.com

FOCUS | FALL 2013 | www.spbt.org

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Focus Magazine - Fall 2013

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