Tips from RBC / TELUS Diversity Supplier Development Workshop on FEB 11, 2015

RBC and TELUS hosted a Diverse Supplier Development Workshop in Toronto. Sheri Spinks of The DATA Group of Companies and Steve Pons of Accolade Promotions Group also participated as speakers. There were over 110 participants including certified suppliers from WBE Canada, CAMSC, and CGLCC. Participants had a great opportunity to network and meet buyers and other suppliers.

The corporate panellists revealed valuable information for working with major corporate buyers:

The DATA Group

• To be considered for their program, suppliers must be certified
• Do your research – understand buyer’s key needs and how you can add value
• Don’t pester; be respectful of buyer’s time and be patient with response time
• After a bid – if not successful, ask for feedback to find out where you could improve

TELUS

• What is the best way to connect with a buyer/procurement professional? Come to events like this and connect in-person – that’s the best way and also faster than just registering in their portal
• If you have an opportunity to meet for an initial “pitch meeting”, be sure to determine the fit relative to the buyer’s needs
• Be prepared to provide approximate costs, turnaround time, samples
• Realize that the RFP process requires a lot of work from both parties
• Respond to every question – don’t “refer to answer previously given” as responses are split and answers go to a number of places, people
• Be aware that samples included in your RFP bid will not likely be returned
• Respond only to sections/areas that you can support – even if you can’t do others, still submit a bid

RBC

• Currently in the process of developing a new platform technology to register as a supplier or potential supplier
• Be fully prepared – may need to pre-qualify before being given an opportunity to bid
• Research the buyer organization/company – you need to understand what they do and what’s important to them
• Understand your key strengths – don’t generalize and indicate you can do “anything/everything”. You must be expert at something to get business with a large corporation
• In a bid situation, provide a single point of contact who should be available during the RFP process (not a team list of contacts)
• Flexibility is a key asset
• Will look for suppliers who can scale services
• Contracts may be broken out (unbundled), so bid if you can fulfill some but not all aspects of the RFP

Successful suppliers from each certification council told their stories which provided learning in a case study format with Q&A. Certified suppliers: Jane Sleeth, Optimal Performance Consultants; Kathy Cheng, Redwood Classics; and Steve Martin, Corporate Services shared their expertise. Some of the key advice given:

1. Relationship Building: Find ways to add value through offering information that ties into the buyer’s needs. Ask the buyer when and how frequently to contact them.
2. Service: Ensure you deliver what you promised
3. Know your capabilities and brand: Focus on what you’re good at. Step away if the opportunity is not in your sweet-spot.
4. Caring: Treat your customers as partners; genuinely care for them and their success

WBE Angela Kabir, PR Exchange and with Charles Varvarikos, from RBC

CERTIFIED WBE Canada Members: Jane Sleeth, Optimal Performance Consultants and Krista Taylor, Hunt Communications