In business, there is more to making a sale than just making the sell. First and foremost, there is the connection between the buyer and the seller: Can the buyer and seller communicate well, instill trust, and meet the customer’s needs in a timely and affordable fashion?
Then, there are all the things that come after the sale: execution, deliverables, and collection. In that regard, vendors are imperative. Like all businesses on the planet these days (literally), FAB has been dealing with supply chain shortages. To remedy this, we decided to try some new vendors.
In this pursuit, we took a chance on a new vendor who offered a fair price with a reasonable delivery date. At first, they seemed like an answer to our prayers, but after a few short months they stopped delivering and answering Grady’s emails and phone calls. Frustrated, Grady eventually emailed the vendor a straight and pointed question, “Are you out of business?”
The response was so honest and true it cracked me up and I decided to share it:
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2021 2:38:25 PM
To: Grady <Grady@flagandbanner.com>
Subject: [External] Re: You out of business?Hello
My name is Omar, my dad is going to be out for a while or until my mom says he can come back. I am more into the production side. Can you send me a list of what we owe you and I will get it out?
My Dad’s bookkeeper will handle paymentOmar M
Who can argue with that? After all, we are all human.
