Over the past couple of weeks, have been fortunate to have had conversations with nearly two dozen C-level execs, about how they choose their business partners (in this case, suppliers). And from this set of conversations, what’s important to them?
- Is it “price?” Somewhat, but not so much. “Just be in the ballpark.”
- Mind-blowing technology? Not really. Not so much.
- Process. Yes, to a degree. Have a plan to show what’s going to get done by when, and how it’s going to get measured.
But, almost across the board, they’ve been saying things that are much more surprising. Talking about “cultural fit” and using words like “comfortable.” Saying they chose Company A over Company B because Company B’s people “put on airs.”
Relationships aren’t dead. Not by a long shot.
Offtopic Shiny Thing: With a headline like that, how could I not link to this?
