Vendor Relations for Success.
How to build trust with vendors for a strong collaboration.
If you would ask any of my previous Assistant Managers what my main wisdom was in regards to relationships with brand partners and vendors, I think all of them would say the same: ‘Keep a clean shirt!’ which is MY way of describing how I deal with vendors.
In some instances of my career I had to witness when Spas were getting their shirt dirty which in the moment didn’t seem a big deal, but the moment came when it was. - But what does it mean to ‘keep a clean shirt’ in business relations with vendors? We are our vendor’s clients, aren’t we?! So why do we have to make an effort, you may ask. As a Spa Leader you want to create lasting partnerships and they require input and commitment from both sides!
Vendor relations are highly important in our business as they can have an important impact on the longevity of your collaboration, facilitate reaching the goals of your Spa or Wellness operation and provide you with a solid reputation within the industry for other vendors you may need. In general, having good relationships with your vendors will ease your job in so many ways from arranging training, to staff or guest gifts, obtaining industry news and trends, and I found this offers often the opportunity to learn new or unexpected things.
Now I mentioned my key has always been to ‘keep a clean shirt’. To me this has always meant to do business in a professional and ethical way, that I didn’t owe anything to vendors and that they felt appreciated. At Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, where I have worked for many years, we applied our Golden Rule to ‘Treat each other the way you want to be treated’ also to our vendors. The same as I see Spa guests and our employees as our ‘clients’, I also see vendors as a ‘client’ even though I am their’s. Vendors should be part of your people management additionally to your staff and your guests - with NO difference.
Here some strategies on building strong, long-lasting and valuable relationships with your vendors :
Being honest with vendors, transparent and fair is probably the most important base along with being polite and respectful.
Share your expectations up front. Expectations about training support, pop-up events, testers, samples, shipping costs, pop-up event, …
Meet with new vendors - in person or virtually -, or when you start a new position meet all vendors your new Spa works with. Get to know them, understand their values and share yours, understand the way they do business and find out if their approach matches your expectations. Based on your findings, be honest with yourself and them if you don’t feel this is a match. That happens sometimes! Some Spa brands or retail brands didn’t make it into some of my Spas as I just could feel this would not last over time and one or the other would get frustrated.
Have vendors you work with or start working with discover your space. Key vendors you might even invite for a treatment. Vendors have such great relations or networks and share what they see and experience.
Be in touch regularly - answer their calls or emails in the same timely manner as you would with guests.
Get involved if there are payment delays or other glitches happening - we know things can happen! Don’t shy away and go silent. Ask your contact upfront to always reach out if there are any issues so you can personally take care for them and get issues resolved. Very important!
Share also concerns with them if there are any. Avoid frustration by communicating with your vendors. Together you may come up with a solution.
Send a birthday and holiday cards signed by the entire team! - Believe me your Spa will stand out and the vendor will be tight emotionally even more to your Spa.
For the last two decades, I always had the goal that the vendors we worked with valued our Spa and loved doing business with us. And I am convinced that you can achieve this too if you meet and consider them with intention for a true partnership.
I would love to hear what it means for you specifically to ‘keep a clean shirt’ in the relationship with your vendors! Leave me a comment below.