Share thisHow customers and vendors work together is a interesting study in itself, and the psychology behind all of this may or may not surprise you. To a large degree, how we interact with people has to do with our personality, character, and our working styles.
In order to get a better perspective on this topic we spoke to several customers and asked them a few survey questions about working with vendors. We found a consensus on some issues and some differing opinions on others. If you are a vendor you may want to take some notes and see how you measure up to your customers expectations. We began our survey with a few basic questions to get a general idea of the customers’ views about working with vendors.
What underlying factors determine whether you will meet with a vendor?
The customers said they were most likely to meet with a vendor they have worked with before or who they had contacted regarding a specific product or service they were considering. They were open to a first time visit from a vendor who was responding to an inquiry from a trade show or a product they had seen in an ad that had sparked their interest. Timely follow-up after the initial contact was very important. Due to time availability, customers were reluctant to give up their valuable time unless a vendor could demonstrate that their product could meet their needs. At the top of the list were vendors who had invested the time and effort to build a partnership over time by supplying reliable products and services.
How important are customer references?
Providing references from other satisfied users was considered to be important at some point in the selling process. Companies that promoted themselves as the “industry leader” carried little weight in their decision making process. They felt that this was something they had to earn as a result of proving themselves and standing behind their product. Advertising or sales presentations needed to focus on their product’s features and benefits in order to get their attention.
Do you require an appointment?
If you are a vendor who is planning to make sales calls on a short notice or just dropping in with no appointment, you might as well stay home as far as the customers were concerned. Customers have the greatest respect for vendors that are courteous enough to call in advance and set up an appointment.