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phone number, sourcing, RFP, corcentric, contacts

 

I recently needed to obtain a client relationship representative at five companies

for an RFP sourcing initiative I was executing.

I had no contacts in my on-line rolodex or direct connection through LinkedIn.

What a nightmare this simple task became.

My process:

Step 1 Reach out to people within the company I work for and inquire if anyone had contacts with the potential Suppliers. – No luck

Step 2, Look up each company website for a phone number to call –  the only option was  fill out a form and someone would get back to me – maybe… each website was seeking all kinds of information and there was no way to bypass this process and just state my request and press send…

I was not going to spend 10 minutes filling out fields for the supplier to decide if they wanted to engage in a conversation – how many employees, location, budget for the service etc.…

My frustration was building, Dang it – 
            All I wanted was a human voice to chat with and I would explain the purpose of my call.

Step 3, Go back to my email rolodex and reach out to former colleges that might have connections to any of these companies – No luck

Step 4, Go to LinkedIn and look up the individual companies to see if I could connect with a Client Relationship Manager or Customer Service Representative by sending a LinkedIn message – No luck. 

I was blocked!  I do not have a paid Premium Membership with LinkedIn which was required to contact members at 3 of the Suppliers the client wanted vetted.

             Of the two Suppliers where I could send a message to an employee… 
            one never responded (even though she did have over 300 connections).    

             The second person who received my message did respond 
            - with a link to fill out a form to see a demo – NOT WHAT I WANTED!

Do companies not want business??? My frustration was at a peak, plus I was baffled.

Have we become so automated that human interaction for business transactions has evaporated?

Every company website home page should have a phone number or contact us with direct contacts, 

this is my strong opinion… 

The result:

Two of the Suppliers that our client was interested in vetting for the RFP lost their chance to participate because I gave up…

Eventually through colleges inquiring to colleges they know in the telecommunications arena; I was eventually introduced to each supplier representative.  To obtain the correct contact person for the remaining three companies took over 8 hours of time during a week.  This is not a good business practice/face to present – it shouldn’t matter if you sell a hammer or managed security services or network hardware gear – a Supplier is a Supplier and all businesses need clients to survive…The doors must be open for a potential client to walk in and in my case the walk in required a telephone conversation.

The postscript: After my initial conversation with each supplier I asked for the CEO’s email address and sent a message.  Since receipt of my emails all three Suppliers have either added a phone number or way to write an inquiry through their website that does not ask vetting questions…

About Corcentric: Procurement Services are EASY to engage!  888-909-3894 or email me twankoff@corcentric.com and I will personally introduce you to the correct person in the appropriate department to answer your questions. www.Corcentric.com

Corcentric’s Sourcing team is made up of subject matter experts; covering areas from Telecommunications hardware/software/voice and data services, to Managed Security Services and IPaaS solutions.  Our strengths include providing real-time insights to the requirement building, carrier identification phase including but not limited to just the sourcing and negotiation phases.  We take a strategic approach in facilitating and managing a RFP process where we identify opportunities that align with both the short-term vision and long-term objectives of our clients.  

Corcentric leverages our proven process and best practices, keeping carriers engaged and motivated about the opportunity.  By managing the carriers throughout the process, we ensure our clients have visibility into all viable options for its requirements in terms of carriers, technologies, contract, and pricing approaches.   As an outcome of the sourcing process, we provide our insights so that our clients make informed decisions regarding which carriers are best matched to their specific requirements and future state growth.