Vendor Relationships

Posted by Erin on June 3, 2009 · Leave a Comment

“I love my current service provider. We’ve been together for years now and I just can’t bear the thought of leaving him behind.”

“My vendor is someone I trust with my life… They know my business inside and out and no one else will.”

Sound familiar? If it does, read on.

The love relationship between the client and vendor.

I’m not talking about romantic love here, I’m talking about devotion and the desire to stay with someone because of the comfort level you’ve built up with them. Many people also stay with vendors when they trust them and they are heard.

In 9 times out of 10, this is a perfect situation and most of you are probably experiencing this. You’ve built up your working relationship to the point where trust exists, familiarity exists and that love and devotion is happening. However, in that 1 case (sometimes more than just 1/10 cases) it goes sour … sometimes, without you even realizing it.

Here’s why these love relationships can sometimes be detrimental to your business growth.

When a service provider works with a client for awhile, they build up that comfort AND the exclusivity to tell you what they think you should do in their business or guide you through the next phase. Sometimes, that vendor’s knowledge and skill set is limited. When the guiding process and a limited skill set meet, fear sinks in. Particularly, when another vendor or service provider pops up on the scene.

The comfortable, caring, loving vendor you have then has fear. When this fear exists, good judgement is no longer made for YOU and your business. Instead, they may act out on their “lack mindset” and guide you in ways that are NOT the best for you and your business. They may tell you that one path is the right way and the other way is wrong… And you bet they’ll have a ton of fear-based reasons why it is so.

How to tell if you’re in this love/hate kind of relationship.

Ask yourself a simple question: when I bring up other vendors or service providers to my comfy vendor, the one I’ve had for awhile, does he or she look to hear the opinions of others or are they always finding fault in the newcomers? If so, there’s a good chance you’re dealing with a fear-based vendor. Someone who knows they lack the skillset yet doesn’t want to lose the source of income.

If they are instead willing and open to hearing new ideas, then you know they are working for your best interests and not just a paycheck. You also want to be sure that you are working with someone who stays current, trendy and knows a lot about the subject matter on hand.

Hopefully this helps you get out of relationships that may not be in your best interest and move into ones that are! Remember, comment and tell me your opinions or share your stories.

Technorati Tags: Erin Blaskie, client, vendor, relationships, love, hate, lack mindset, fear, scarcity, business