PPB March 2015

Ron Wolfman, Rod Brown, Curtis Uejo,

Doug Carson, Fred Albrecht, Rex Shoemake

and Eric Nelson.

“What should I have done?”

First, let’s assume that you double- and

triple-checked the order’s progress from

receipt at the factory and approval of an

emailed proof, and the factory’s confirmation

of receiving your approval, to confirmation of

the ship date, ship method, and in-hands

date, as well as correct item, quantity, color,

logo, etc.

Finally, you confirmed inventory when

you sent in your purchase order and again

when you approved the email proof.

Let’s also assume that your company’s

credit is good and that “suddenly” the

factory is not holding the order as a

demand for payment in full for old debts.

Again, this no doubt would have come up

when the supplier received your P.O. and

you confirmed it.

If all the paperwork is in order and you

received only green lights, did you request

and receive tracking numbers? If you did

not get a tracking number the day the

products shipped or early the next business

day, this could indicate that the products

didn’t ship.

Second, once the ship date comes and

goes, and you don’t have confirmation that

your products shipped, the first thing to do is

double-check your order notes:

a. Is this a

true

in-hands date? Or, did you

give yourself a day or two of padding?

Check your emails. Did the customer

say, “We must receive by this date or we

don’t accept the goods”? Or do you have

a few more days?

b. Assuming the in-hands date is true, con-

tact the supplier, find out what happened

and immediately treat this as a “What

can

(supplier and I) do to save the

project and save the relationship?”

An adversarial approach is not productive

unless you’re prepared to take action against

the supplier. Even if you do that, you still

won’t solve this challenge. So, for the time

being at least, take off your “Sue the bas-

tards!” hat and put on your “We’re partners!

We can find a solution together!” hat.

Consider these things in adopting a true

partnership/solution-focused attitude:

1. Is it a matter of the item suddenly and

unexpectedly being out of inventory?

Or was there a defect discovered? Or,

after the emailed proof, did factory dis-

cover that the item could not be deco-

rated with the art provided?

Move quickly through this stage. This

isn’t the time to find and assign fault.

Yes, you’re upset. And who wouldn’t

be? But let’s assume that your supplier

is upset, too. The company wants your

business. It wants your respect. It wants

your future business and probably your

formal and informal support among

peers both in and outside your organi-

zation. Assume that their reputation

is as important to them as yours is

to you.

This leads to focusing on a solution

and not on the problem.

2. What other product can the factory

offer that they

can

get out the door

immediately?

“Immediately” may mean

same day. Many great factories offer

same-day service. Not all products may

be offered and there may be print limi-

tations, e.g., one color, etc., but why

close the door on this option if you’ll

still be able to deliver your client some-

thing that may save the day?

Important note: When customers

order, are they the

only

ones in their

organizations who chose this item?

Think about it. If your customer is the

only one who decided on this item, a

substitute item may still work for their

audience, particularly if their audience

has no idea what was ordered. Yes, the

customer will be upset. But you can put

some salve on the big wound by offer-

ing something that their recipients may

still like, use and think well of the giver,

even if it’s not what your customer

wanted.

Ideal World Scenario:

Your supplier

steps up and offers something of the

same or equal monetary value. Or, it

might offer an item of higher-perceived

value at the same cost. What do you

like to hear when you order something

in the real world? Have you ever had

this situation: You are told at the last

minute, “Sorry. We’re out of X. But we

can give you X++ at same price to fur-

ther apologize for the inconvenience.”

Do you feel like your business and trust

were honored? Would you come back to

this company? Would you pay the

invoice for its product or service? I

think “Yes …”

Reality Scenario:

Sure, if you wanted

that one-of-a-kind “X,” anything short

of it may be a disaster for you. And

heck yeah—when a deadline is missed,

can anything truly undo your disap-

pointment? Maybe, maybe not, as each

set of facts is different. But not working

for a solution is surely a guaranteed

path to failure.

3. Once you establish what replacement

items are available and upon which you

and your supplier can agree, you can

explore delivery options:

a. Is your supplier set up to individually

drop-ship to each and every known

recipient?

b. Is your supplier within driving dis-

tance of the event?

c. Are you within driving distance of the

supplier? Can you get a messenger or

dedicated courier involved?

d. How fast can the factory ship the

replacement items?

e. Is the event date on a Friday? Can the

recipient or event venue receive deliv-

eries over the weekend?

f. Can you ship to the customer after

the event, and work out a re-ship solu-

tion from the customer’s office to the

recipients?

The Value Of The Deal Is The Value Of

Your Relationship With Your Customer

And Supplier

None of these solutions is going to make

you or your supplier any money. You both

may lose the profits you each expected. But

we all have to ask ourselves these questions

when these scenarios come up:

1. What would we want if we were in our

client’s shoes?

2. Can we afford to lose this client?

3. What is your relationship like with this

factory? Is it the first time you’ve used

them? Is it in your “preferred” network

and therefore will do whatever it takes

56 •

PPB

• MARCH 2015

GROW