Continue to communicate
Not that long ago, we talked to a Marketing Manager from a big brand, with whom we have never done business before. She didn’t know PSfm yet. Doesn’t matter. Not everybody has to know our company. She pointed out that she was very satisfied with her current supplier, and didn’t feel the need to schedule an introduction meeting at that stage. How nice. A client who mentions to be very satisfied about your company and services. Those are the best ambassadors, right?
Business-threatening
A client who is satisfied and therefore does not want to converse with other suppliers is extremely risky. For every ambitious company, it is important to know which experts are playing the field, and with which knowledge. How else are you able to challenge your supplier in innovation? As if it’s always just the two of you and you never start a conversation with anybody else. You would hang on to a relationship without any stimulus.
Open up to others
I encourage it. Please go look for other suppliers. But do stay loyal to your current one, if you are satisfied. Use the knowledge you have gained from other suppliers to discuss and implement innovation and advancement with your current supplier. That way, you can challenge them to keep improving themselves. Wouldn’t it be terrible if a client would just switch to another supplier? That means you haven’t met their expectations. Then it’s already too late to shed light on the shortcomings.
Dare to measure
We talk to our clients about our performance on fixed dates. We call this agency performance measurement. By having an open conversation with each other about the quality of our services, we avoid having nasty surprises. Within PSfm, we are challenging ourselves on improvement at all times. And this improvement can only be reached if we open up to our clients about our struggles. It’s like a romantic relationship. If you stop communicating, you cannot work on your relationship.
Talk to other suppliers. Perhaps you get inspired. Perhaps you discover ways to help improve your current supplier. But above all, talk to your current supplier. Tell them what can be better or different. If you don’t talk to each other, your relationship is doomed to fail. And if you are blown away after a meet-up with another supplier, you can always decide to switch. Above anything else, you should always look for the solution, which acquires you to reach the best possible results.
