Vendors
Learning Objectives
Partners and Vendors
The better your communication, the better you can expect to work together.
Defining a Relationship with a Partner
Here are
12 questions to help you define your relationship with partners. The answers will help you
determine how to communicate with them:
Defining a Relationship with a Vendor
Here are
10 questions to help you define your relationship with a vendor. While similar to those
used in the previous section, there are some differences. The answers will help you
determine how to communicate with them:
Establishing the Relationship
You will probably have a different relationship with a vendor you are buying a single chair from than with one that is handling the redecoration of your entire building, or supplying everything you need for a major construction project. Your relationship with a partner on a small, one-time contract will also be different from your relationship with a regular partner with whom you have worked on numerous major projects over the years. In many ways, the tone of the relationship will be established by liaisons, the people from each organization who meet and interact on a regular basis as each side works to ensure that the contract is fulfilled, and done so in a timely manner and on budget, while protecting their own organizational interests. Here, as with so much of life, first impressions will often dictate the rest of the relationship. The levels at which the liaisons meet and work will also influence the relationship, its development, and the way you work together. When organizations establish a relationship at a high level, it is a clear sign to the rest of both organizations that senior management is committed to making the relationship and the project work. As a rule, it is up to the liaisons to establish the relationship, set its tone, and then hold it together.
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