My Vendor Strategy
Originally published on LinkedIn January 6, 2016…Updated for 2024. Why? Someone pointed out to me that this was as relevant today as it was in 2016. I agree. Vendors are timeless!🤣
Many people in my kind of role are inundated with cold calls and emails from every type of vendor. I know that many people I have spoken to simply ignore these contacts and that strategy works well for them. But I have a slightly different approach and I thought I’d share it in case anyone out there can derive any value from me doing so.
Phone Calls Most of the time I do not answer calls. My office phone rolls to my cell so I can use this for some level of screening as well. But both my office phone and my cell phone have voice mail greetings that ask “unknown” vendors not to leave a voicemail, but to email me instead. I spell my name (email address) so they have an opportunity to get it right. (My family and personal friends often find this greeting amusing.)
If a vendor I do not do business with leaves a message, I’ll still listen to it – and delete it. But I’ll keep an eye out for an email too.
Email Our email security solution enables us to differentiate and identify bulk mail, unwanted mail, and the like. So if an email was not personally addressed to me by a human, I have a pretty high confidence our tagging will determine that.
When I receive a “human” email (as best as can be judged), I read it and I at least browse the attachments. I’ll also browse the associated website and may do additional research on the company or topic. Then, I reply.
Yes. I reply. Most of the time the reply will end up being a “No. Thank you.” sort of message. But I will often take the time to replay with a reason for the rejecting. It could be I’m just not interested. It could be that I have competing technology I like and/or am not in a position to consider replacing. Or, I may reply I’d be interested in talking later, watching to see how the company develops, etc.
BUT – I usually reply.
Sometimes I even reply to bulk mail. In the case of some “newer” companies, their Internet reputation may not yet be strong enough for their email to be properly classified. So as I browse my bulk mail I may look for clues that will motivate me to reply. Often the limiting factor here is availability of my time. If it is early morning, late nights or weekends, I just might take the time.
I thought you might enjoy insight into one such bulk mail I replied to. Here’s the content:
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Hey Martin. I have had zero luck connecting with you. Usually when I don’t hear back it means either . . .
A) It’s a “No”
B) It’s not the right time
C) You are being chased by an angry hippo
No sweat if it’s A or B, just let me know. If it’s C, I’ll call animal control!
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My 6:30 AM reply to this one ended up being elaborate. I touched on my voice mail approach (he had left a message), explained by it was a “No,” stated it had nothing to do with timing and concluded by saying:
“So, as you can see, I am not being chased by angry hippos. I simply have no need for [vendor name removed] services. However, now you no longer have zero luck, but you do have A) It’s a “No”.”
On top of all the above, I keep all my vendor email correspondence in a folder and I reference it often in replying to vendors. But I also reference it when I am in search of assistance for projects, technology, etc. When I put out bids for risk assessments or penetration testing, I used those emails to assemble a list of vendors who were presented the opportunity.
Vendors are an essential cog in our IT machinery. I think my strategy enables me to maintain “good” vendor interaction and provides a foundation for building future relationships. Remember, the vendor you put off today you may need tomorrow.
So here’s my vendor advice to people in my type of role. Be a human. Treat vendors as you would want to be treated. One day, you may leave your corporate job and join the vendor ranks. Be honest. Be direct. Be transparent. Act with the same integrity you expect to receive.
Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash