Vendor or Partner

If you are in business, chances are you rely on a vendor to provide you with products or services that help your business stay afloat. We use vendors to help us with payroll, software systems, IT, office cleaning, building maintenance (plumbing, HVAC, etc.) and other things that help us do business. We also rely on vendors to do things for our clients; printing, video and audio services, digital ads, billboards, broadcast stations and many more.
The relationship with a vendor should be a symbiotic one. The products and services that they provide to you must be good, timely and delivered at a reasonable price. In return you pay them for their products and/or services and reward them for performance.
However, many vendors go “above and beyond” merely selling you stuff. They offer advice and expertise. They become ingrained in your company culture. They have a vested interest in your success and they would sacrifice the short term sale for the sake of the long-term relationship.
When the vendor rises to the level of partner, it becomes more of a friendship. We trust friends. We can be wary of strangers.
Vendor relationships are purely transactional services with no proactive idea generation, in-depth understanding of your business, or investment in your future. Partner relationships are born when they immerse themselves into your company culture to understand inner workings for long-term success. Since one size does not fit all, it is really important to know what each, partner and vendor, will bring to the table.
With costs of everything rising and inflation hitting 50 year high levels, our company – along with many others – have been looking at cost-savings. We’re evaluating not only the costs of products and services, but we’ve looking for added value – the kind of value a partner brings.
I’m proud to say we have made some great partnerships at Madison+Main. Some, like Wythken Printing, have been with us since the beginning in 2005. Ric and his team are partners in every sense of the word. If you have a printing vendor, maybe you should get a printing partner.
MONDAY:
HONORING A LEADER
Our longtime client Fort Monroe Authority’s Executive Director Glenn Oder will retire on Oct. 1 after 12 years of leadership. During his tenure, Oder expanded the authority’s responsibilities, including property management and utility operations, and safeguarded one of our historic Virginia treasures. Chairman Jim Moran praised Oder’s dedication in preserving Fort Monroe’s legacy. Learn more here!

TUESDAY:
STICKER SHOCK!
We love working with our friends at Hitting Cancer Below the Belt, and our recent projects for them have been instant favorites for our creative teams to work on! Promoting awareness and screening for colorectal cancer has never looked this fun – keep an eye out for some more on the way, and on bumpers near you.

WEDNESDAY:
IN THE STUDIO
Our VP Leanne Pillow got out mid-week with her lovely mother and popped in to a networking and speaker event today at Tuckahoe Women’s Club. The speaker was Neely Powell, owner of Charleston Shoe Co. – She spoke about the entrepreneurial spirit to the group. And check out those flowers!
Also on Wednesday, a group of the Madison+Main-iacs visited our friends at BES Studios! We’ve worked with them for video production on several recent projects our clients have loved. We mingled over dinner to catch up and review recent projects, and talk about future collaborations over some drinks.



THURSDAY:
TEXAS TWO-STEPS CLOSER!
Our VP also stopped by the new Richmond Location of the Texas Inn this week. I’ve spent most of my time this week there – it’s an overwhelming amount to do but each day is a few steps closer to seeing this classic Lynchburg staple make a new home here in the River City! We’re still planning to open the doors next month so keep an eye out for updates, and I can’t wait to see your smiling faces at the counter with a cheesy or a hot dog “all the way”.

A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE EVENTS

RETURNING CITIZEN CAREER & WELLNESS FAIR
Date: April 13, 2024 (Saturday)
Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Location: 5833 Poplar Hall Drive, Norfolk, VA 23502
Returning Citizen Career & Wellness Fair
In honor of National Second Chance Month, the Urban League of Hampton Roads partners with the Office of Attorney General and Revive Community of Virginia to help returning citizens in the Hampton Roads area with a second chance in having a career.
Join us to meet employers providing second chances and receive additional resources available for career readiness.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.“ — Helen Keller