Never do business with friends they say. In my experience, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. We all know of instances when things have gone bad, and the same can be said for supplier and contractor relationships that were once positive and for one reason or another are now starting to compromise your business.
I am talking about the freelance guy who works on the business and used to be really flexible but is now taking longer and not delivering the same great work, or the IT support that just wont get back to you in a timely manner, the cleaner who is doing an average job but you just put up with it. These relationships can often span over many years with these suppliers becoming friends and out of a strange sense of loyalty we tend to keep them around and make excuses or make up the shortfall.
Sometimes we can be too nice and overlook where it is hurting our business – be it in a commercial sense or even from an overall culture and well-being standpoint.. They may have become less effective or efficient for your evolving business requirements, or maybe your business has outgrown their services, but you persist. Simply because you always have!
I recently received some very sage advice, which was to think about your business and make decisions as if you had shareholders and if it were a much larger entity. It makes perfect sense, how can we grow our businesses if we have the legacy of average relationships hanging around our necks, or relationships that are not delivering on promises.
Part of the problem is that we get emotionally connected to these people and companies and we are too nice to do anything about it and or we don’t want to face the conflict of sacking them. Some of these people have been with us since day one; our businesses have grown and needs have changed, have we looked at the people supplying our essential services to make sure they have grown with us and have the capacity to do so? So today is clean-up day! I have put the cleaner, the creative and the IT guy on notice. I have made my expectations clear and given them a firm understanding of what is not working and why. Its not easy being tough sometimes, but on the other hand, it’s also not right to accept mediocre service levels. With this in mind, I suggest you all take a look in your own gardens. Are there any contractors or suppliers that are not delivering? Think supplier reviews and service level agreements (SLA). Check any existing contracts or arrangements and make sure you are protected before changing. Shop around for the right people to support you now and into the future as your business continues to grow. Pitch your business out and see who comes back with the best fit and advice and choose people who you can see supporting you in the way you need to be supported. It’s hard to accept average, and sometimes it’s harder to change. Don’t accept it though, step up and make changes for the betterment of your business and yourself!
