If your customers see you or your company as a “vendor,” it may be time to re-think your brand – or your customers. Become a vendor, and price becomes the primary driver in every sales situation. Sure, quality and reliability will have an impact, but vendor relationships are built on price. The problem with being a price-based business is that someone will always undercut you, especially during hard times. But if you bring added value to the table – if you offers ideas and solutions that help your customers succeed – relationship starts to take precedence over price. Two chores, then: don’t think of yourself as a vendor, and don’t let others think of you that way.
