I spent a season of my life hiring vendors for technical and creative projects. This included sending requests for proposal (RFP’s) to lists of potential candidates.
At the same time, I was reviewing contracts and terms of service for prospective software providers. These were tools we used ourselves to do creative and technical tasks.
Marketing and communications departments do this a lot. Third parties either shoot our videos, run our ad campaigns, and provide design services for us, or they make specialized tools that allow us to do it ourselves.
Whatever the case, choosing the right partners is vital. Some of us have learned this lesson the hard way, but that’s a story for another day.
To avoid the most common problems, I’ve adopted a few selection guidelines. I’m not sure they work for other industries, but they have been helpful in each of my roles in media.
First, I never answer the question “what is your budget?” When I approach a company or issue an RFP I provide detailed and comprehensive parameters for each project. I also schedule a call with every candidate and allow time for questions on expectations and scope. The project requirements must be crystal clear to everyone!
If a vendor finds it impossible to respond with a bid after such an all-inclusive explanation of their role, they must not be chosen. The work – not my “budget range” – must determine their price.
Second, I don’t agree to long-term contracts. This usually means no more than one year at a time.
Monthly or per-project arrangements are preferred, but most of us can suffer through poor service or bad products or technical flaws for twelve months. Being locked in for three to five years with no off-ramp is another story.
Some business models require up-front money, followed by a long period of “hoping for the best.” But creative environments are dynamic and our team may need to move quickly to adopt new technology or test new methods. Lengthy commitments to third parties can make this difficult.
Third, I avoid sentimentality. Our friends, family, or “people we like” should only be employed when they are exactly the right people for the job. Good feelings toward company representatives are important, but they are only one factor in our considerations.
I used a points system for scoring agency and vendor proposals. Prices, timelines, positive references, and demonstrated results were weighted heavily. People we connected with, who also scored low, didn’t get any extra points.
I’ve had good relationships (even friendships) with account executives and tech support people that regularly apologized for their companies. These representatives did a good job, but the products and services they represented were poor. Good will toward them personally could persuade us to have a little more patience, but not much more.
Violating the third principle often contributes to the subsequent violation of the previous two. We hire friends that make us feel comfortable sharing our budget and then trust them with long-term contracts. This is a dangerous trifecta.
The dangers are paying too much and being stuck with products and services that don’t accomplish our mission.