Raise the Bar for Vendor Relationships

Watch this week's Short Attention Span Sales Tip here.

Good morning!

An e-mail comes in. It's a quote request. The client has included a copy of your competitor’s bid and asks you to submit pricing.

A Sales Vault client of mine called me this morning with this very situation and asked for advice.

What would you do in this situation? You could certainly provide pricing. But what's to say that client wouldn't just go back to the other vendor. He has already proven himself to be devoid of integrity. You could no bid the job out of principle.

Here's a third option…

First, I suggested he call the customer and ask, “Why aren't you going with this other vendor?” On the surface, it seems this guy is just shopping around to get low prices, but maybe there's another reason. Perhaps they've had a bad experience with that vendor. By asking this question, you eliminate assumptions, and it allows you to get to a more important question:

“What kind of vendor relationship are you looking for?”

This is what you really want to know. If this guy is going to shop around constantly, at least you know what you're dealing with and you can decide if you want to play his game. But if he's open to another possibility, define the relationship in your terms.

Say, “I want to be working with you 10 years from now. I believe a good vendor is as important as a good customer and if those words mean anything to you, let's get together.”

There is always a lower price out there. No matter what the number is, there's another idiot willing to go lower. I hope you raise the bar in the minds of customers. Clearly define who you are and what you are capable of doing for the client.

The right kind of customer will raise their standards to meet your definition.