Send to Kindle

Have you ever hired a vendor and used the word “hassle” to describe your interaction with them? Every conversation is an exercise in splitting hairs. The vendor seems to constantly be on the defensive, looking for excuses, and is timid in making proposals and defending his or her ideas. You have to do more work than you planned to teach, coach, and mentor the vendor. At times, you wonder if you would have been better off hiring a talented rookie and creating a star performer from the ground up.

During the sale, the vendor sent their most polished sales person, who was impressive and convincing in making promises. After the sale, when implementation has to begin, the vendor seems to have  sent the lowest cost resource, with the worst communication skills they can get their hands on.

If you are the hiring manager, you wonder when the nightmare will end. If you have to deal with the hiring manager who hired this vendor, you feel a mixture of scorn and compassion for this person.

Complaining will not work. The only thing that works: don’t complain. It will make the vendor defensive. It is not necessary to lower your standards, but you’ll have to be specific in your feedback, and rigorous in your acceptance criteria.

Definitely look to cut your losses and look for alternate ways to go forward. Next time, calculate the Total Cost of a Relationship before you hire a vendor.