Treating suppliers with professionalism and respect is a cornerstone for any negotiation and is something we apply when working for all our clients. But as this article reminded me, when I started my working life 30 odd years ago it was a very different story. Back then, as a customer, suppliers were viewed as adversaries – showing disinterest and oftentimes disdain.
Changing employment roles from being a customer to becoming a supplier was an eye opener! Then I realised disdain works both ways, but the supplier keeps smiling and the person who pays is the customer with higher prices.
As this article promotes, and as is commented at the end, entering negotiations advocating fair play with a win-win strategy is the only real way both parties can benefit. It works. I’ve seen it happen time and again.