I started out a lunch-and-learn workshop last week (Topic: Vendor Selection) with this question. I think it pretty well sums up the two primary reactions I get from pharma training professionals about vendor relationships.
What gets you ragin‘?
1. Trying to winnow through the barrage of phone calls and e-mails from vendors, both known and unknown.
2. Lies.
3. Pricing models that are obscure, inflated, or incomplete.
4. Vendor reps who really don’t know your business needs (and just want to make a sale).
5. Bad project management.
What gets you ravin‘?
1. Vendor/partners who actually listen.
2. An honest assessment of your needs, even if it may be different than you/they originally thought.
3. Flexibility.
4. Pro-active project managment.
5. Becoming part of the team, to help you over the long haul.
My consulting practice focuses quite uniquely on Project Definition, Vendor Selection, and Vendor Management. That’s why we not only provide a “matchmaking” vendor recommendation service (free of charge, to help you find the optimal partner[s] for your needs), but also offer an on-site lunch-and-learn program to help the entire department understand how to successfully define projects and select vendors. Contact us and let’s get you doing a lot more ravin’, and a lot less ragin’!
“When we needed to find new vendor/partners for some crucial eLearning projects, we turned to Impactiviti. With very short notice, Steve came up with targeted recommendations that turned out to be exactly right for our needs.” – Mohammed Tenouri — Manager, Technology & Assessment, TAP Pharmaceuticals
My mind is actually on those terms Ragin’ and Ravin’ a lot right now, as I’ve gotten in a fresh supply of my favorite BBQ sauce, Ragin’ Raven from Ravenswood vineyard. Rich, tangy, with a Zinfandel flavor.
Would you like to try some Ragin’ Raven? Call us in August to discuss your training needs, and let’s see if we can save you some time and effort by suggesting best-in-class suppliers for you. For giving us the opportunity to serve you we’ll send you a bottle (while supplies last)!
Contact Steve Woodruff at: stevew(at)impactiviti.com, 973.947.7429
Impactiviti blog 
I actually double checked if this product actually exists!
Now my question is, how much ragin’ and ravin’ do you get in your business (in percentage)?
[…] When we help you find the best vendor-partners to meet your training needs, our preferred partners pay us a referral fee (since we’ve brought them new, well-targeted business without the cost of sales). What value-add does that enable us to offer without cost? This blog/newsletter – which takes hours of time invested each week. Consultative advice to you on vendors that will best match your needs. A Job Board (and some informal resume-forwarding and job matching, as a number of you know). A Lunch-and-Learn for your department on Vendor Selection (contact me about this – it’s been a great help to several companies already. For those outside the NY/NJ/CT/MA/Philly area, I’d need to charge only travel expenses). A constantly-growing network of people (from the client and the provider side) that I can tap into for you, and that you can tap into (via my LinkedIn network). BBQ sauce? Yes, see how you can even get some free BBQ sauce by contacting us this month for Vendor Recommendations!! […]
[…] talk to your colleagues, call a few friends in other companies, get some new names, people rave about one company, rage about another. Now you only have about…20! And who knows if any of those are really right, or if the best […]
[…] and partners, even creating a marketing campaign for my consulting business around the theme of: Are you Ragin’ or Ravin’? Ragin’ Raven BBQ sauce has received tremendous exposure within a very high-income and […]