Last week I wrote about taking the lead on Supplier Meetings. Writing an Agenda, and asking who you want in the room.
I wanted to dig deeper into this….
When speaking with SRM professionals, I’ve sensed a reluctance towards certain meetings with suppliers. It’s been clear that there’s a frustration that, often, the Account Manager or Rep on the other side uses these meetings as an opportunity to up-sell, neglecting the wider priorities of the business.
Reflecting back, when I was starting out in sales, I wasn’t thinking about things like innovation, supply consistency, giving colleagues access to my accounts, or how to leverage my client’s reputation for better marketing or branding opportunities. At the time (I was fresh out of Uni) I wanted the sale, the status, and oh, of course, the commission.
But, if my MD had been involved in those meetings, I know we would have touched on all of these points. It would have led to a more impactful conversation, aligning our priorities with those of the buyer in a more meaningful way. Paving the way for more long term, sustainable relationships that probably would have yielded more value for the customer and revenue for us.
Now, being on the “buy-side,” I see just how critical it is for SRMs to take the lead, not just in attending supplier meetings, but in shaping them.
So, here’s the way forward:
Are you driving the agenda? Or a Framework. Remember innovation often comes from not what you “don’t know” but what you “don’t know, you don’t know”….
Are you inviting the right voices; finance, innovation, risk, marketing, product, engineering, the relevant executives to the table?
Are you opening the door to your supplier’s senior leaders and asking to meet theirs?
Because when you do, the conversation changes. It’s no longer about pushing products. It’s about building partnerships.
Real SRM starts when you own the room.
When I was a Sales Account Manager, I was pretty good at getting in front of my customers' executives.
To SRMs out there: are you doing the same with your suppliers?
Thanks,
Matt