It’s to your advantage to have established relationships with outsourced suppliers before you need them. That way, when a need arises, you know who to call. How do you establish this “future” working relationship? And how do you maintain it?
The key is to remember the human touch.
- Outsourced suppliers are people. Most are business owners. They value time. Theirs and yours. If you take the time to connect with a supplier and let him know that you would like to be able to call on him when needs arise, they’ll listen.
- Be honest in your approach. Don’t lead a freelancer on. If you don’t have work now or in the near future, say so.
- Develop a rapport with the supplier as a human being. Ask about family, hobbies and show a genuine interest in her business.
- Share enough along the way with the supplier to keep him in the loop on your company. Give him a heads up when a potential project might be approaching.
- Be clear in your selection process. If your company always uses RFP’s, make sure you let the freelancer know. Let him know what you are looking for with timelines and budget guidelines. This saves you time and respects the freelancer’s business. She may be unable to meet your schedule and if so, it frees you to move on to other prospects.
- Keep several freelancers in the same field in your list of outsourced favorites. This gives you the freedom and confidence to know that should one freelancer not be available you have options ready.
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