Every business has a service or product to sell...and we buy services and products from other companies as well. So as savvy business people, we should be able to relate being on both sides of the "selling aisle." However, it is unfortunate how often business people forget the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I am not just referring to those who are rude to solicitors who phone, email or visit. I am thinking about companies who are actively seeking a particular service or product, call in sales people for a presentation and don't give enough information for a company to provide a good, relevant presentation. Being vague about your needs is not going to help a vendor and ultimately will undermine the purchaser themselves. The company representative who does not want to answer questions about their company, exactly what they are seeking, and their "vision" of what it should look like, accomplish, etc. is not an asset to the company at all. How can you expect a vendor to address your needs if you do not tell them what you needs are-- or provide any sort of history or information about who you are? You put both the vendor and yourself at a huge disadvantage.

Here's a very specific example: Some time ago we were contacted by a company to give them a proposal for activities for their meeting. The information they provided was very general except to say that they wanted to motivate their managers to "embrace their Mission Statement." As per our usual process, we asked a LOT of questions and we took a look at the company's website to get a better understanding of who they were. The answers to our questions were either deflected, vague or not answered at all. For instance, we asked what their criteria was for selecting a vendor/partner for the meeting and how they ranked the importance of the criteria. Their answer was that we did not need to know this, and it was "premature to discuss it." We asked who their clients and competitors were and got the same answer. In the end, we felt that it would not have been a good working relationship, because both parties need to communicate openly and honestly to get the product, service, results that we both want. Why be evasive and secretive about who you are and what you needs are??? The questions we asked were not product secrets or information that if "leaked" would cause a problem. These are questions that a vendor should ask of a prospect. The attitude and non-communicative stance they gave us was a serious "red flag." I am sure that you have all had customers that were difficult to communicate with, and finally you would rather just not have them as customers because of it.

This works both ways. So remember, the next time you are seeking the services or products from another business, be forthcoming about your needs, who you are, what your expectations are and what criteria you will use to select a vendor. This will only increase your chances of finding the best vendor and getting the best outcome all around.