Establish A Good Relationship With Users

Buyers can help themselves and their organization by establishing a good relationship with users of products and with engineers who specify products. Often the buyer is able to visit suppliers, attend trade shows, and talk to salespeople to gather product information, whereas engineers and users are not able to do so because of time constraints or other interests.

A well informed buyer can offer suggestions about product use and product design that may stimulate thinking by the more technically oriented individuals to come up with alternative specifications. History tells us of great ideas that have been suggested by amateurs when for years the experienced experts have failed to think of them.

The buyer may learn about substitute products that may have lower costs. For example, a less expensive alternative product may have a looser measurement tolerance that will do the job just as well as the higher priced tight tolerance one. Companies have been known to use a poor choice for years without realizing how much money they are wasting.

Working with users and specifiers requires diplomacy. You should not seem to be a "know-it-all." You shouldn’t seem to be cross-examining the user. Act with a little humility and show a simple desire to learn. It usually gets better results than rushing in with your ideas. Using phrases such as "Is it possible that....?", or "Have you ever tried...?" is more likely to show your interest and appreciation of the other person’s knowledge than simply "A better way is...." or "Try this."

It helps if you can give the user or the engineer sales literature and specification sheets from the supplier involved. It is even more helpful if you can compare actual specifications on an Excel sheet that you have printed out. If appropriate for the product, offer the specifier to set up an appointment for a demonstration.