Never Argue With A Vendor Or Anyone Really.

I deal with angry clients and vendors all the time.  I’m the marketing guy in the company and run the marketing campaigns for clients as well as the other businesses in the Group. I rarely get to talk to the happy vendors or our partners within the Group.

So I talk to these angry vendors, who sometimes have legitimate complaints but, more often than not, are just unhappy for some reason and they’re taken a patchwork of relatively mild problems and stitched into a colourful quilt of discontent.  I’ve found one simple way to soothe them. I hear them out, I apologise and I ask them what I can do to make it better. More often than not, it works.

I don’t argue with vendors because it’s pointless to argue with anyone, particularly someone who is angry. You know what happens when two people get into an argument?  They both become increasingly convinced that they’re right.  The more they argue their points the more committed they become to their position.

Have you ever been in an argument with a vendors that ultimately sincerely agreed with your position?  Someone who ended the argument by simply saying something like, “You know what?  I have heard what you said, and you’ve convinced me!”   Usually, most arguments end with one person just giving up and, at best, sarcastically saying in a huff, “fine, you win. I give up.”

What’s the lesson?  Don’t argue. It’s pointless.  In particular, don’t argue with a vendor. It’s worse than pointless.  It’s expensive.  That’s the whole point of the saying, “the client is always right.”  Of course, the vendors is not always right.  The vendor is often very, very wrong.  But it doesn’t matter, because there’s no advantage in arguing with them.

Let’s say that your vendor is upset about something that’s really not your fault.  The “for sale” sign fell down and no one fixed it, some website screwed up your listing feed, a buyer didn’t show up to see the house when she was supposed to. Whatever.  The vendor is upset, and is taking it out on you. Of course you want to argue, because it’s unfair.  Maybe the vendor is being unreasonable, rude or even abusive.  But what is arguing going to accomplish? Are you going to convince them that they are wrong?  Are you going to “win” the argument?  Of course not.

Be the bigger and smarter person. Apologising does not make you weak.  Taking responsibility for problems that are really outside your control doesn’t mean you lose face.  It means that you’re smart and secure.

Now, I’m not saying that you should routinely put up with abusive vendors. You have to use your judgment as to whether putting up with some crazy person is worth your time and energy.  If they’re that tough to work with, just fire them.  You shouldn’t waste all that time and energy arguing with them.

Tom Benedict
Marketing Director,
@britainbesthome
Google+
www.britainsbesthome.com