#vendor relations

[bronycon]

Calling all Vendors and Artist Alley hopefuls, we have a message for you regarding the third and final wave of Artist Alley applications.

[susanstokesworld-blog]

4 Tips for Creating Excellent Vendor Relations

4 Tips for Creating Excellent Vendor Relations

Creating excellent vendor relationships is vital to creating a sustainable business. But, you may be thinking: why should I be busy devoting time to building relationships with my vendors when I’m really focusing on my customers? First, building trust with your vendors can, in turn, hugely help your business relationship with your customers. In business, things happen. Production deadlines get…

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[the-real-commasplice]

As a professional rule, I try to keep things positive. I like to be a cheerleader for all the great people out there and avoid boosting the signal on a bunch of negativity. However, situations comp...

This is pretty disturbing...

[geeklawblog]

Mandatory eFiling In Texas – What Has Been Your Experience??

I wanted to use this platform as a way to share our experiences on the new mandatory eFiling system for Texas Civil Courts. I have talked with many librarians around Texas over the past few weeks and have found many of us have been tasked with preparing our firms for the new mandate, and working with the vendors in testing the new system. To say it has been a strain on our sanity may be a bit of an understatement. So that we may "share the pain" (or, if you have a success story, please share that too), please comment with your experiences on this post. I know that many have decided to switch from traditional vendors because of their inability to adjust to the new eFiling system, or for the inability to also meet the mandate for eService for the ten largest Texas county courts. Here is the statement from the eFileTexas.Gov site on the mandate:

In December 2012, the Texas Supreme Court mandated e-filing in civil matters. The first group of counties (Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Travis, Collin, Denton, El Paso, Hidalgo and Fort Bend), the Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals and the 14 Courts of Appeal become mandatory January 1, 2014. This means that attorneys will no longer be able to file paper documents at the clerk's counter. E-filing in all other counties will become mandatory on a graduated schedule through July 1, 2016.

The eFiling system and consolidation under one platform is supposed to make it easier, faster, and more efficient for those filing matters with Texas courts. Has that been your experience? Have you jettisoned your current provider for a new provider? Have the Court Clerks for the counties affected been helpful during the transition? How are you preparing your attorneys, paralegals, secretaries, and other staff for the new eFiling system? Please share your experiences with all of us!!

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[geeklawblog]

The Legend of Jargon Hollow

It was 1987 and I was in my High School Freshman English class. We were asked to pick a partner and jointly write a paper on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving's tale of a headless horseman who terrorizes a small New England town. The assignment was to "be descriptive".  The teacher wanted as many adjectives and adverbs as we could use to describe the story, the characters, and the setting.  The kid sitting next to me scooted his desk next to mine and we started writing. Everyone else turned in a page or two, but we wrote eight or nine pages and still probably had fewer sentences than any other team. I bet that was the worst and the most painstakingly descriptive paper ever written on the subject, but we got an A. I was reminded of that incident recently when a colleague forwarded a vendor's email.  The email was so full of jargon as to be comical. 

"...we are a global customized research solutions provider. Since 2003, we have worked with a number of law firms in US and Europe - supporting decision makers tasked with responsibility for their firm’s growth - with quick and insightful research on key initiatives relating to business development, client retention or strategy execution.

"Our offshore research model with 350+ analysts based in India - pioneered by McKinsey and now used by many professional services firms - allows us to cost-effectively service both urgent or quick turnaround research requests as well as in-depth market or competitor intelligence assessments. [Our company] is a knowledge partner of choice to several Fortune 1000 companies and SMBs in the US, Canada & Europe. We have executed research assignments in more than 80 sub-sectors entailing analysis of market and competition dynamics in 50+ countries, using a judicious blend of secondary data sources and primary interviews with industry stakeholders."

I know what all of the words mean, but...

Why do people write this way? It's not easy to read or understand. It doesn't make you or your company sound more impressive. If your marketing materials read like my freshman English paper, I would really hate to see what your research looks like.  Try this...

"...we are a global [ ] research [ ] provider. Since 2003, we have worked with a number of law firms in US and Europe - supporting [people with] responsibility for their firm’s growth - with [research] relating to business development, client retention or strategy execution.

"Our [business model,] with 350+ analysts based in India – [DELETED Irrelevant] - allows us to [ ] service [] urgent [DELETED Redundant] research requests as well as [ ] market [and] competitor [ ] assessments. [Our company] is a [vendor] of choice to several Fortune 1000 companies and SMBs in the US, Canada & Europe. We have [helped companies] in more than 80 [industries] in 50+ countries, using [ ] secondary data sources and primary interviews with [people in each industry]."

Now, I'm not saying that's the greatest copy ever written, but at least I can understand it without rereading it four times.

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[av-1-blog-blog]

21 Touches

We depend upon the fine products, services and information that we obtain from reputable vendors and manufacturers -- we depend upon them for the success of our organizations. Then why is it that so many encounters with sales reps leave us feeling, well, cheap?

This week, Joe Schuch follows up Anita's cheeky dance story (about how salesmen stopped phoning her once they discovered she had no budget money) with a closer look at the ways in which vendors engage decision-making prospects.

Get the full scoop and join in the discussion at http://av-1.org/21-touches

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[dcspotter-blog]

This is a post by Louise M. Felsher, CMP, CMM—Director of Marketing at Treasure Island Wines. Treasure Island Wines operates a winery and tasting room on the former US Naval Base on Treasure Island, San Francisco (check out their upcoming Wines + Valentines event).

“Dear Wine Shop” the email began. “My boss told me to get beer sponsors for our upcoming event…” As charmingly ill-advised as this intro is, had I read further, I am sure I would have discovered at lea­st half a dozen additional reasons to delete the email. But truth is, I shut down at “Dear Wine Shop.” For starters, this unfortunate inquiry was sent to a winery, not a wine shop, and we don’t make or sell beer (winemakers consume enormous quantities of it but we keep this on the down-low). Surprisingly, this request emanated from one of San Francisco’s most prestigious event venues. I get at least 3–5 similarly imprudent requests a week. If you are having any difficulty securing or re-signing in kind donations or sponsorship, the following recommendations could make a difference:

1. RESEARCH & PERSONALIZE

Regardless of how high profile your organization or event is, never expect a response from an “en masse” mailing. Decision-makers are unlikely to read—let alone consider—an inquiry unless: 1. You address the request personally (takes seconds to obtain on website or LinkedIn) 2. You have made an effort to show that you know the basics of the business, brand, or overall promotional “gestalt” (i.e., the company is sustainable and will only market locally) 3. You articulate briefly and precisely why (cannot emphasize this enough) an association with your event and/or organization would elevate the business. Instant credibility killers: “fabulous marketing opportunity,” “exposure” or “our great cause.”

2. GIVE & GET

Include a “gives & gets” list or a sponsor benefits document of some kind, or at least summarize this neatly in an email. This list should detail everything expected of us (the “gives”) such as quantity, value, time commitment, and everything you intend to deliver (the “gets”) such as signage, web presence…our logo seared into the foie gras?

3. DETAIL

Half the requests I get don’t list the name or date of the event or indicate non/for profit status, and two-thirds of the requests don’t share attendance expectations or size of reach, including mailing lists, Twitter, and Facebook. We need accurate demographics, statistics and PR channels. If this is an inaugural event, summarize (realistically) your minimum expectations for the event plus influencers:  VIPS? Media/press coverage? Special performers? It is also impressive to include the event history and fundraising success.

4. DEFINE

I listened to a voicemail recently detailing with great passion “A fundraiser for human trafficking.”   Although common sense should prevail…they never did determine whether they were for or against it!

5. MINIMIZE

Bullet info; be brief.

6. INVENT

Show some ingenuity. For example, by nature urban artisan wineries do not (and should not) have lots of wine to give away—but we do have special events and winemaker experiences that can be bundled into hot, high-priced ticket items for your auctions or door prizes. This approach can translate to other industries.

7. DELIVER

Once we agree to sponsor or in-kind donate, please follow through on everything you promise. Meet all deadlines (promo value is highly perishable), and don’t mangle logos on your web pages or print microscopic images on your signage. Let us know with as much warning and precision when and where to show up (if we are needed on site), and make it effortless to retrieve or receive donated product. And after the event—in addition to a thank-you—send a concise report of the event metrics/analytics.