Article provided for The Bankers Bank newsletter.

Let’s talk about partnership.

Lately, I’ve interacted with an increasing number of companies – mostly technology-related, of course. There is a Grand Canyon of difference between those that I think of as vendors and those that I consider partners. With all the complexity and dependence on our technology stack, it’s increasingly important that our business relationships involve partners.

Quick Gut-Check: Is it time to reevaluate?

Though I hate to start this article negatively, I want to catch your attention with some things to consider – this is when you need to reevaluate a relationship. For many business relationships a partnership is important; I’d say the relationship with your Managed Service Provider (MSP) is one where true partnership is vital.

If a few of these sound familiar, you might need to reevaluate.

• You have to ask multiple times to get the answers you need.
• You find out about changes after they impact your business.
• You’re told “that can’t be done” before you even finish explaining the goal.
• When mistakes are made, the vendor gets defensive rather than collaborative.

To learn more about what makes a good partner, read the full article at tbb.bank.