Finding and checking suppliers
Getting a change made.
A factory will usually agree to a change and then continue as before, which is not evasion so much as a communication failure. Changes stick when they are written into the specification, demonstrated on a sample, and checked on the next run.
Why agreement is not change.
Agreement in the room is frequently politeness rather than commitment, particularly where saying no directly is uncomfortable.
The person who agreed may not be the person who does it. A change discussed with a sales contact rarely reaches the production floor by itself.
The change may be genuinely difficult and nobody wanted to say so, which is information you need rather than resistance to overcome.
How to make it stick.
Five steps. The last one is what separates a change from an intention.
- 01
Write it into the specification
As a measurable term, with the old version and the new one both visible. A verbal change lives nowhere.
- 02
Ask what it costs and what it takes
A change with no cost and no difficulty is usually a change that will not happen. Asking surfaces the real obstacle.
- 03
Get a sample of the change
Physically, from the actual process, approved in writing before the run. This is where you discover whether it was understood.
- 04
Confirm who is doing it
Name the person on the production side, not only the sales contact.
- 05
Check the first run
Specifically for the change, at inspection. A change confirmed once holds. A change never verified quietly reverts.
Asking in a way that gets a real answer.
Ask what would make it difficult rather than whether it is possible. The first invites information and the second invites agreement.
Offer a trade. A longer lead time, a larger run or a higher price for the changed version often turns a no into a yes.
Separate the requests. Five changes at once produces agreement to all and delivery of none.
Explain why. A factory that understands the reason frequently proposes a better solution than the one you asked for.
Questions buyers ask.
Why did they agree and then not do it?
Usually because agreement was politeness and the change was harder than they wanted to say. Asking what would make it difficult, rather than whether it is possible, gets you the real answer.
How many changes can I ask for at once?
One or two that matter. A list produces agreement to everything and delivery of nothing, which is worse than not asking.
Should I pay for a change?
Frequently yes, and it makes the change real. A modification that costs the factory nothing has no priority, and one you paid for has an owner.
Read next.
Negotiating without breaking the order
Six moves and four traps, about business mechanics rather than national character. What to fix before you discuss price.
Approving the first piece
One unit made to your specification, approved in writing before the run starts. The last cheap moment in the process.
Writing a specification suppliers can price
The document that decides what arrives. What belongs in it, what has to be measurable, and the words that cause disputes.
Where meaning gets lost
Many disputes start as a specification agreed in a second language. What survives translation and what does not.
Sourcing from Indonesia?
Tell us the product, the quantity and the destination. We come back with what it involves before anyone talks about money.