Business Partner or Just Another Supplier?

Are you a supplier or business partner to your customer? Any contract manufacturer fortunate enough to maintain a business relationship with another organization for an extended period of time, lets say 2 or more years, to me is a business partner. Not in the true shareholder sense of the word, but as two or more organizations who join forces to foster growth, revenue and profit. Two years is certainly a long enough time to give as well as take. I can honestly say that some of my customers I work with closely with (daily in most cases) I feel like we are partners and I believe that the feeling is mutual. I'd do whatever I can to see that their projects are handled effectively.

Unfortunately, others you may not work closely although within the same organization quite possibly view you as just another supplier. For some who have no firsthand experience working with you, or perhaps have not had the opportunity to see your company go the extra mile, your services may seem a dime a dozen or worse yet, expendable. I have made the mistake of assuming my customers whole organization should think we're great because of continued success with a particular group or engineering division. I have actually found myself being offended by parts of the company who weren't aware of my track record and question our capabilities. I realize now that I need to re-evaluate how I interact. I need to treat each new division, group and individual as if it were a new organization and we're starting off for the first time in business despite my previous success. Hey, I love what I do, I find it challenging and it keeps me going. I am confident that I have one of the best manufacturing team in the business, frequently perfect and always the best.