Yesterday, we (Magnus and Anne-Lii) met with one of our suppliers in Malta for a short while at a café. It might seem like just a courtesy visit—and in some ways, it was—but I’d like us to take a moment to consider the opportunities this kind of meeting can offer.
The supplier we met was one we’ve worked with for quite some time, and our collaboration has always run smoothly. We had a local beer at a café here in Malta, mostly just to meet up and chat about various things. We hadn’t really planned to talk much business, since everything is going well—it was meant as a courtesy visit.
What we had underestimated, however, was just how much good suppliers can actually help—a supplier who actively solves problems for you. We’re very open about everything we do, even with our suppliers, and that openness can really benefit the business. By sharing something that technically had nothing to do with the service we purchase from them, we learned that this supplier actually offers a great solution to exactly that problem.
By sitting down for an hour and having a beer with a supplier, we took the first step toward solving a bottleneck in our own company. That’s invaluable. Instead of keeping things to ourselves, we found a way to move forward. I’d recommend the same to you—talk to your suppliers. More often than not, they want to solve your problems.
Magnus Bråth
CEO
Magnus is one of the world's most prominent search marketing specialists and primarily works with management and strategy at his agency Brath AB.