Taking a Balanced Approach with Trade Suppliers

I wanted to shed some light on an everyday issue I witness within the printing industry, conflict between printing companies and their trade suppliers. I’m very fortunate to have sat on both sides of the fence and I guess the aim of writing this article is to get you thinking a little differently the next time something goes wrong.

Having a good relationship with your suppliers is vital to your success, whether it be a paper, ink, equipment, software, or print supplier. These partnerships, however, are not without their challenges as I am sure you well know. Breakdowns in communication, delays, and quality issues are all par for the course in our industry yet we don’t always react in the best way when things do go wrong. Threatening to leave, to move to another supplier, taking the issue far too personally which can often lead to negative effects for both you and the supplier. Sadly, things do go wrong from time to time and hopefully after reading this article, you may have a more balanced perspective in the future.

Common Issues with Trade Suppliers

Quality Control: Colour inconsistency, print quality, poor finishing, or items being badly packaged. These are all things that can reflect badly on you and as such can result in reprints, extra costs, and indeed delays which can often have a negative impact on your client.

Timeliness: Deadlines seem to be getting shorter and shorter these days so if your supplier is late, it can impact a dissatisfied customer who perhaps loses trust in your ability to deliver on time.

Communication Breakdowns: Miscommunication or lack of timely updates can be frustrating. Finding out a job isn’t going to be there too late in the day, leaving you no time to find an alternative solution is a common problem.

Pricing Discrepancies: Sudden price changes or misquotes can be problematic if you’ve already quoted a job.

Supply Chain Issues: External factors like material shortages, something we experienced a lot during COVID, can affect your suppliers’ ability to deliver on time.

The Negative Impact of Taking Things Personally

As I mentioned, I’ve sat on both sides of the fence, so I’d like to think in my time as a trade supplier, I was able to understand the impact and have a little more empathy for the situation. It’s only natural to respond with frustration and finger-wagging.

Taking these issues personally and let’s be honest, reacting emotionally can lead to conflicts that are detrimental in many ways. Hostile environments between you and the supplier can often make it difficult to move forward and the supplier may be more reluctant to help you in the future when needed because your relationship is tarnished. Threatening to leave them as it feels like you need to make a statement is all well and good but finding a new supplier demands time and resources. It’s important to remember, that these issues are not typically unique to that one supplier and the likelihood is, that you’ll come across this with the new supplier soon enough. Working with the number of printing companies that I do; I see this firsthand every month.

Take a Balanced Approach to Resolving Issues

The relationship between your business and your supplier should be one of mutual respect. Treat suppliers with the same respect and professionalism as you would your clients. Be consistent in your communication and be consistent with your orders and payments as this builds trust and reliability and don’t be shy in recognising and appreciating their efforts at times.

Here are some things to consider the next time something doesn’t go to plan:

Show Understanding: A little bit of empathy can go a long way. Remember, suppliers face their own challenges and as much as it might feel like it at times, they do not want to let you down. Yes, you still need to find a solution to the challenge but work together to find one that works for everyone involved.

Have a Strong Line of Communication: It’s important from the outset that any non-negotiables are communicated clearly before they can become a problem. Regular updates and check-ins (within reason) can also help put minds at ease.

Maintain a Problem-Solving Mindset: When problems arise, focus on finding solutions together rather than placing the blame. It’s actually quite rewarding when you can work collaboratively to fix problems and it will strengthen your relationship. As much as I try to avoid problems, I have always enjoyed the challenge of putting them right.

Ensure You Have a Feedback Mechanism in Place: I believe it’s important to have a feedback loop where you can discuss your experience and suggestions if any, so long as it's constructive. Both parties should encourage this as it aids continuous improvement.

Have a Backup Plan: I still very much admire those of you who try to remain faithful to just one supplier however I would always advise it is best to have at least one secondary supplier in place. You wouldn’t put your whole business in the hands of just one client so why do the same with your supply chain?

To summarise, issues with trade suppliers are inevitable. It’s difficult to not take these things personally. The supplier might not understand what you’ve had to endure to land that client or that job in particular and the impact it might have if it’s not there on time but remember, they genuinely want to help. They have their own challenges to face and likely, they are not just having to manage your issue, they’ll be dealing with multiple people like yourself. Take a step back and work through the items I mention in this article. It’s in everyone’s best interest.