Page 197 - Executive Warfare

Outsiders with Influence

VENDORS, THE COUNTERINTUITIVE POWER
In your relationship with clients, they have an obvious superiority. They
are giving you gold. On the other hand, with vendors, you’re the one pass-
ing out gold to them. When you become a decision maker who can affect
the way millions of dollars are spent on printing, or consulting services,
or plant care, you become a very powerful person—perhaps more pow-
erful on the outside than you are on the inside.
So you would think that you would have control over your relation-
ships with vendors. Well, think again. Vendors are not your friends, and
often they are dangerous enemies.
Their power arises from the close
relationship they may have with your
bosses. Generally, the CEO of a $10 bil- YOU WOULD THINK
lion company and the head of a $10 THAT YOU WOULD
million law firm are in the same social HAVE CONTROL
stratum. They may be neighbors. They OVER YOUR
may play squash together. They may RELATIONSHIPS
serve on boards together. Or they may WITH VENDORS.
have worked together from the time WELL, THINK
that the CEO held your job. And if you AGAIN.
try to cut that lawyer’s business, you
may well hear about it from the CEO.
Let’s talk, first, about existing vendors whose livelihood suddenly
becomes a line item on your budget and then about would-be vendors
trying to lobby their way in.

TREAD CAREFULLY WITH THE EXTENDED FAMILY
It’s stupid to dislike an existing vendor simply because he or she has been
around awhile. If, however, you suspect that you are not getting good value
out of the vendor, and the vendor is in a commodity business, you are

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