Wie würden Sie einen Anbieter führen, der in Ihren B2B-Marketingkampagnen durchweg unterdurchschnittliche Qualitätsarbeit liefert?

In my experience, a thorough initial assessment is critical in identifying the root cause of subpar work from a vendor. It's not just about pointing fingers but understanding the 'why' behind the issue. This approach aligns with my ethos of personal responsibility and integrity in business dealings. By evaluating the impact on your marketing campaigns, you can have a factual, solution-focused conversation with the vendor, which is far more productive than a blame game. At the same time, you have to know when to move on. Having a limited number of vendor solutions is or can be a big risk. The worse number in business is one.

Managing a vendor who delivers subpar quality work in your B2B marketing campaigns requires clear communication and a structured approach. Begin by addressing the issue directly with the vendor, providing specific examples of the problems. Set clear expectations and discuss improvement strategies. Establish performance metrics and timelines for assessing progress. If the quality doesn’t improve, consider exploring alternative vendors. Maintaining high standards is crucial for the success of your campaigns. #B2BMarketing #VendorManagement #QualityControl

Clear Expectations: Set specific, measurable goals and quality standards from the outset. Regular Feedback: Provide constructive feedback promptly and consistently to address issues early on. Collaborative Solutions: Engage in open dialogue to understand challenges and collaboratively find solutions. Performance Reviews: Conduct regular performance reviews to assess progress and identify areas for improvement. Exploring Alternatives: Keep alternative vendors on standby and assess their readiness to step in if necessary. Personalize interactions to maintain a respectful partnership while ensuring alignment with campaign goals and quality benchmarks.

The assessment is an excellent time to ask ourselves, "What did we think we were getting, and what have we received?" And to be fair, did we choose well? What was the environment in which we decided to select this vendor? Were we in a panic? Did we look at alternatives? When we don't like these answers, it is human nature to overcorrect when we need to work with vendor leadership and make impactful adjustments. It's surprising how often communication is the culprit.

It sometimes happens that the problem with the vendor comes before all the working process. I think you should not have a relation of empowerment just becuase you are paying the vendor. You should take them as a part of your team and success and that's how your vendor will feel this belonging to the company and the project. For me, all my vendors are part of my team and I deal with them with a very clear and transparent communication since the begining to avoid missunderstoods. So, it is neccesary this open communication between the parties at all the stages.

From the beginning, being clear about what we want from a vendor establishes everything about the relationship. Revisiting those expectations every quarter or every month keeps us aligned with the original goal. It's such a relief when working with a vendor to return to the original expectation or KPI and say, "If we're not getting this KPI, we're not succeeding as a partnership." Managing toward clear expectations brings tremendous clarity and keeps us from straying off the path of the relationship. By anchoring our joint actions to the expectations of the expense, we can maintain a clear and focused approach.

Start by setting detailed standards, such as KPIs. Brands like Stanley Black & Decker reduced their sales cycle by 30% through clear definitions. Reporting tools like SEMRush are effective for overall campaign monitoring, and Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) works equally well if initial customization is done. Use performance metrics and dashboards to track improvements, along with project management or productivity tools, to ensure accountability and maintain high standards.

As W. Edward Deming famously said, "In God we trust, all others must bring data." This quote underscores the importance of performance monitoring, which provides the data we need to create insight and make necessary adjustments. It's how we inform ourselves as to how we feel about this vendor. Is the vendor meeting expectations, or is a change needed? Set up cadenced meetings, and if it's new, meet weekly to align all resources so it can be successful. Work as a team focused on improving performance and welcome ideas.

Many leaders miss the opportunity to treat a new vendor like a new employee who is trying to be onboarded. Leading vendors is still leading people. It's not a switch; it's a dial. You just don't turn them on and off. You ask them to produce results over time within the environment that has been provided. Partnerships and vendor relationships only optimize performance when both parties collaborate. Moreover, if you work with a vendor, be positive and inspire them to do their best work. Recognition can be a powerful tool since it's what every employee values. Your role in highlighting their efforts is crucial and should make you feel the importance of your leadership in this process.

A contingency plan should be in place even if the bender is the top one in your area; having options that are up to standard will always give you the upper hand as a business in terms of price and timelines - when vendors know you’re the only company they work with the eventually tend to slack off so always keeping them on their feet on if they will or won’t get the project at hand no matter how big or small will always give you a competitive edge