Presentation to:PMI, Los Padres Chapter: Presentation to: PMI, Los Padres Chapter 8/28/2007


Agenda: Agenda Who am I? Why am I qualified to speak? What you should get from this session The Deadly Sins of Vendors Includes a shocking interview with a confessed sinner Your horror stories Qandamp;A: The PMI Recovery Clinic


Introduction to m+a: Introduction to m+a Founded in 1992 as strategic marketing team 8 team members Focused on technology, non-profits/healthcare and property developers Integrated mix of print marketing and web development services Strategy development Idea and message creation Content development and management Digital and print implementation Program maintenance


Examples of our work: Examples of our work


Why am I qualified to speak? : Why am I qualified to speak? I have sinned! I’ve been sinned against I now have both happen concurrently I still build web sites and marketing programs for customers I also serve as VP of Marketing for startup clients I’m morbidly attracted to sleazy business behavior and horror stories!


What you should get from this session: What you should get from this session A short trip into the murky world of vendor sleaze Some tips on how to avoid the sleaze About $20,000 in free Gartner research reports


Rules of engagement: Rules of engagement What I tell you stays inside these walls A lot of this presentation is geared towards vendors that provide services rather than products I never committed any of the sins on Gary Smith when we built his web site! To get the free Gartner reports I expect you to laugh at even my most marginal jokes and applaud wildly at the end


Some home truths…: Some home truths… Vendors all share one common characteristic– They care a lot more about their business than yours Treat a vendor with respect and they’ll probably do the same Thank them occasionally Pay them on time Keep them informed Abuse a vendor and you’ll probably get it back!


Slide9: 10 Vendor Sins


Sin 1: Who’s doing the work?: Sin 1: Who’s doing the work?


Sin 2: Their door is revolving rapidly: Sin 2: Their door is revolving rapidly


Sin 3: What’s really new and original?: Sin 3: What’s really new and original? ‘Creativity is the fine art of hiding your sources.' Source unknown


Sin 4: Force feeding: Sin 4: Force feeding ‘To have a good idea, have lots of them’ Thomas Jefferson


Sin 5: Creative accounting: Sin 5: Creative accounting


The interview: Confessions of a former vendor sinner : The interview: Confessions of a former vendor sinner Profile: Marketing and public relations professional Veteran of some of the largest advertising and PR agencies in the world Runs his own sin-free agency in Southern California Now uses his power for good


Interview with a recovering sinner: What was the worst, most under-handed thing you’ve ever done as a vendor?: Interview with a recovering sinner: What was the worst, most under-handed thing you’ve ever done as a vendor? 'I’ve lied to a client (American Airlines) when they owed me over $20,000, that my 3 year old son was in hospital and needed an operation (he didn’t). When that didn’t work I had to escalate it and say that he was now in critical condition as a result of my inability to come up with a cash payment – that worked!' On billing: 'Anything that had less than a week’s lead time was immediately bumped up in fees by a third. Anything that was difficult to get approved was bumped up too. We would bill junior people at senior people rates. The client was never informed.' 'We took an ad campaign to Client A, and when they rejected it we took it to Client B. When Client A said they saw it on TV they bitched that they owned it – but as they never paid for the work, we never returned their calls. This taught me a lesson in calculating the value of an idea – would I want a competitor to have this. Also, always pay for spec work, even just a token $1,000 to establish rights of ownership.'


Slide17: 'I traded IDG analyst research, which a client had paid for, for cocaine. We kept a good chunk of the money, the client got their report, the analyst got his drugs.' 'We used to plagiarize routinely.' 'I worked on a research study on awareness of a new retail outlet that required 100 mall interviews. We had told the client that 50 was sufficient – they refused to believe us. So we did 50 and made the other 50 up.'


Slide18: 'At trade shows we would order all sorts of elaborate room service stuff on a client’s tab, and then say it was for non-existent meetings with editors. You’ve never seen so much shrimp in your life. On our expense report we’d then name the publications that were already doing stories about the client. We’d call it the ‘shrimp tax.'


Sin 6: Everything seemed so fabulous on the honeymoon: Sin 6: Everything seemed so fabulous on the honeymoon


Sin 7: He’s a smooth operator: Sin 7: He’s a smooth operator 'We shadow box and double cross' Sade


Sin 8: Unsubstantiated Technobabble: Sin 8: Unsubstantiated Technobabble


Sin 9: The never-ending timeline: Sin 9: The never-ending timeline


Sin 10: Who said anything about loyalty?: Sin 10: Who said anything about loyalty? 'A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself ' Josh Billings


Welcome to the Bermuda Triangle of Vendors : Welcome to the Bermuda Triangle of Vendors They may tell you otherwise, but with most vendors at least one of the following will be missing… FAST CHEAP GOOD


Before acute paranoia sets in…: Before acute paranoia sets in… Companies are often bureaucratic, inefficient and poor at communicating. Problems are common, but bad intent is not Problems don’t usually occur because a vendor wants to rip you off More typically it’s because they have poorly trained employees, they are short on staff, their computer system is ineffective or there are other issues. These aren't valid excuses for improper behavior, but they are also not a reason to assume that someone is out to get you!


Over to you – your horror stories: Over to you – your horror stories Situations where a vendor has made you furious Have you caught a vendor committing any of the sins? Have you had any experiences of exceptionally bad (or good) service from a vendor?


Bringing out the angel in your vendors – 10 steps to happiness: Bringing out the angel in your vendors – 10 steps to happiness Good documentation Realistic schedules Pay fair market rates Pay promptly Thank them for good work Mutual respect Open, clear communications Resolve problems thoroughly Use email to confirm conversations Stay loyal


Avoiding the sins: How can you get the best out of a vendor?: Avoiding the sins: How can you get the best out of a vendor? The 30 Day Vendor Optimization Program Relationship audit Vendor open house Vendor Charter Goal is to energize your most valued vendors and identify those that aren’t performing Systematic approach to solidifying relationships and sharing strategic goals


You deserve some free stuff!: You deserve some free stuff! Series of Gartner white papers that cover: Managing nightmare contracts Outsourcing offshore Outsourcing incentives and penalties Service level agreements Keeping vendors in check Managing financially troubled vendors Managing transitions in outsourcing Challenges for Contract Managers Vendor reference checks Flexible sourcing decisions


Thanks, and an offer: Thanks, and an offer Many thanks for your time this evening I’d like to offer a 50% discount on my first project Web site development Marketing materials Corporate presentations Communications audits (including the 30 Day Vendor optimization Program!) Peter Mansfield peter@mans.com 310 245 9600