Page 200 - Executive Warfare

EXECUTIVE W ARF ARE

embarrass the people at the top. In any case, if you have a sense that there’s
an important chit sitting around somewhere, don’t get a case of the stu-
pids and mess with the vendor for the sake of messing with him.

SHARKS AFTER CHUM
Now let’s talk about vendors who are not already ensconced in your area
but are lobbying for your business through your bosses.
Your bosses are generally far away from purchasing decisions at this
level, and most will claim that they don’t want to be involved. But their
psychology is quite interesting. Most of the top executives I know miss
being hands-on. They miss being able to
see immediate change. So, when a very
EXPECT TO BE smooth, smart lawyer, advertising exec-
SIDESWIPED BY utive, or software consultant says to a
VENDORS ALL THE CEO, “Pete, we can save you $5 million
TIME. if you consolidate your business with
us,” the CEO finds it very tempting to
interfere.
So expect to be sideswiped by vendors all the time. And the bigger your
organization is and the broader your responsibilities are, the more often
this is going to happen.
If you decide that you don’t want a particular vendor favored by one of
the big bosses, presumably you have a legitimate reason: They’re too
expensive, or they don’t have the right expertise. Understand, however,
that whatever your reason is, it will not make this vendor cease pounding
away at your bosses.
If your reason is simply that you want to own your own territory, you
may well wind up resisting something that’s smart just to be territorial.
I’ve seen ambitious people make this mistake many times. They hold the
fact that a vendor is connected against them when the vendor is very good
and might actually help their careers.

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