Plan Supplier Meetings for Better Results

It doesn’t matter if your meeting is with a new supplier or one that you have been using, you achieve more and avoid problems later if you plan the meeting ahead of time.

Planning the meeting involves establishing the time and place for the meeting, who will attend, and what needs to be covered or accomplished. The amount of further additional details to add depends on the importance of the meeting and what problems are to be discussed.

It is always helpful to make a list of topics that you want to cover. The list should include various items that you could ask for during a negotiation. The supplier may not be willing to reduce the price, but may have no trouble accepting another one of your requests. Deals sometimes stall until the last minute when an offer is made and accepted right before the supplier leaves the meeting.

There may not be much time available to plan a meeting if there is an emergency that requires a quick purchase, but taking a few minutes to jot down some minimum things that you want to discuss can be helpful. Your quick notes can then be referred to and consulted if there is time to talk with more than one supplier. The notes will prevent neglecting to cover one of the topics with a second source.

A simple plan should include product problems that you want to avoid with any new or alternative product. A good plan should include your objective for a negotiation. The objective may only be to get quick delivery for a component part or additional inventory needed immediately. The objective for a major contract may be to get a specific total cost of a given amount.

Whenever time and the circumstances permit, find out as much as you can about the organizations that will attend the meeting. Also, learn as much as you can about the attendees. Find out what their titles are and what authority they have to change the terms and conditions of an order.

Internal meetings with people from your own organization should be planned as well. Such meetings are to gather information that will help you deal with suppliers. For example, employees can tell you problems they have with the suppliers’ products or services and how to improve the product.

The extent of your meeting plan will vary depending on the importance of the product or service. A generic type of plan may be useful for products or services of low value. For instance, a similar plan can be used for a new MRO supplier.