Planning & Preparation
Getting ready to go into a meeting?
What have you done to prepare?
I’m sure you’ve written all your hot points down, and things that you really must cover, am I right?
Let’s say you are working with a logistics problem, and your customer really needs more parts. Your supplier seems to be falling short of your demand over and over again. This is going to be a fun meeting your thinking, right? You’re going to destroy this guy! You’re new on the block in planning & logistics, so you’re going to take this supplier to the wood shed and give him a little whipping!
You listen to the stories, well you hear them anyway. The supplier is doing all he can, he is working day and night and can only produce this X amount. You need that amount x 30% so you really don’t care what his stories are. You have an idea about the process, and you think it should be no problem to get the extra out on the weekend. You’re really stressing (yelling) at the supplier to tell them they are full of it, because afterall you have done all your math!
There is a little lull in the conversation, and then the supplier says the following;
“When your company came and audited our process last year during the logistics crisis you had then, they agreed that this amount was the most we could every hope to get”.
What? You start to think! When was our company at this supplier? You were never told, or you failed to research the history more thoroughly. You spent more time preparing for a slaughter than trying to be objective and find a solution.
With a little extra time and effort, this person could have avoided a lot of stress and probably the meeting itself. How many times have you either participated in meeting that covered a subject that was already covered? How many times have you arranged a meeting like this? You need to be professional in your preparation, and part of the process should always be to research the history of the problem. Don’t call a meeting to ask questions that have already been answered, meetings are for new questions and solutions.
A couple of articles ago, I wrote about being the account expert. This is where this type of history comes into play. I recently participated in the above meeting (I was the supplier in this case), and had to take the switch away from the logistics person who was in the process of taking me out to the woodshed. Instead of finding the information internally, they decided to use a heavy hand, and try to get blood out of a stone.
Don’t be the guy that calls an unnessary meeting, always ask around to find out what had been done in the past.
If you are having difficulties in meeting preparation, or problem solving, give us a call at Pinnacle Sales. Our coaching services can help you become better prepared so you are not that guy!
Pinnacle Sales, LLC
Michael Kole
418 Main Street, Suite 6
Belleville, MI 48111 ( 734-516-0221 (Direct / Cell) * michael.kole
* mkole