Recognizing worthy suppliers: People & Companies

Been to visit a supplier lately? I haven’t, but I’m working on changing that.

Most of the time, customers are our primary focus, and we make sure they receive prompt and professional service and an occasional lunch. The importance of customer service is certainly not a new concept, and I’ve written about it in this column. But my relationship with suppliers as of late can be summed up as, “no news is good news.” Even so, just as we like to receive gratitude and recognition from our customers, it’s important to remember that our suppliers should be recognized and their value shouldn’t be overlooked.

Lately, several of them have gone the extra mile for us, ultimately helping us maintain good relationships with our customers by providing critical materials or advice. I realized, however, these suppliers haven’t received much love and gratitude in a while, even though they’re a tremendous help. We’ve been so hyperfocused on coddling customers that the good suppliers have been lost in the shuffle—despite the fact they often bail us out and make us look good.

This isn’t to say that we never see suppliers or we don’t care about them. It’s just a realization that we may need to reprioritize our time so as to include some worthy attention to the vendors that keep us stocked and in business.