Marketing Outsourcing Danger #5
Is the company growing?
A growing vendor sounds like
there must be a reason and so is therefore a good thing to look
for. Often, it isn't. Why are they growing and how are
they handling it? These are the questions that are more
important than anything else when dealing with a vendor who is on
the move.
Are they growing because they are
good at what they do? Or are they growing because they've
hired a bunch of new salespeople, but have limited ability to
service the new clients? Growth in any business is a good
thing, but only if they can manage to hold their own with regard
to the services they offer.
Will you be able to get through
to customer service? Will the customer rep be
overworked? Will they care about their small clients
anymore? Is the company more interested in landing new
clients than servicing the ones they already have? Will you
be relegated to doing business with a machine? Will your
issues be handed down to someone who is barely functional in the
language or in their experience? These can and often are the
dangers that companies face in growth.
If the company has just merged or
been acquired, how does this affect your business? In most
cases, the answer isn't good. Has the company just acquired
financing, investment capital, or are they opening new locations
and thinning out their experienced employees to handle the
changes? In such cases, you may be left to sit on the phone
or deal with someone who has no answers or even the wrong ones.
