Beyond the Spreadsheet

Try to get at what the supplier is really good at and whether it aligns with your critical success factors.

Next step: Get references from the supplier’s current clients. Dig vigorously for any potential trouble spots. Make sure any of the supplier’s weaknesses don’t undermine what’s important to you. It’s easy to unearth a supplier’s strengths because they’re usually on display during a prospecting call. So spend enough time looking for suppliers’ limitations up front, because it’ll get ugly if these emerge later.