I hate it when people think that, because they’re the customer, they can treat the supplier like something they’ve found on the sole of their shoe.

You know what that something is. It starts with the same letter that something does.

Customers who treat their suppliers like that are toxic, and suppliers who let their customers get away with it are digging holes for themselves they’ll never jump over.

Throughout my career, my focus has always been on building partnerships and relationships with my clients. I’ve never approached a client/customer with the attitude that what we’re doing together is just another transaction, and if a client ever takes an arrogant “you’re my supplier so you’re lower than me” approach with either myself or my team members I’ve always (politely) encouraged them to reconsider their thinking. The same applies when I’m the client and someone else is supplying to me. It’s not about a transaction, it’s about building a relationship.

But you can’t build a relationship if the other person is treating it like a transactional one.

That’s why Equal Business Stature (EBS) is so important, and when people don’t observe EBS it gives me a very bad case of IBS.

Photograph of two business people working together

What is Equal Business Stature?

It’s about both parties – the client and the supplier – treating each other with respect and seeing each other as peers.

It’s a fact of life that if we view somebody we meet as less capable or credible than we are, we’re not going to trust them with our business.

By the same token, if we project ourselves as being less capable or credible than the client, they’re not going to trust us with their business. They’re going to take their business somewhere else.

‘Perception’ is at the heart of Equal Business Stature: how I perceive you, and how you perceive me.

When a client takes a “you’re just a salesperson” attitude with a supplier, their perception is deeply flawed.

How does the supplier change that perception, or project themselves from the very outset in such a way that the client can’t have that flawed perception of them in the first place?

It’s easier to tell you what they don’t do.

They don’t behave subserviently. They’re not apologetic or badly prepared. They’re not passive and reactive and willing to accept any crumb the other person deigns to throw at them.

Equal Business Stature starts with creating a great first impression.

Whether it’s in sales or in life, you’ve got to make an impact quickly or the person you’ve just met is going to rapidly lose interest.

Often, that bad first impression can start even before you meet them. Every phone call you make and every email you send gives the other person an impression of who you are, whether you’re credible or not, whether you’re confident in your approach, whether they should trust you.

Rightly or wrongly, the first impression sets the tone for the relationship moving forward.

We’re all guilty of making split-second judgements about people we meet. We base those judgements on how that person looks, how they speak, how they communicate, the list goes on and on.

The problem occurs when we let those split-second judgements cloud our thinking.

The good news is that overcoming those split-second judgements to quickly establish Equal Business Stature isn’t hard. It’s all about getting the basics right.

Being professional.
Being prepared.
Communicating clearly and well, both verbally and in writing.
Being confident.
Not being intimidated.
Knowing you have the right to be in the room, and also knowing that if this isn’t the right fit you’re willing to walk away.
Knowing what your (and your company’s) values are and standing by them.

And then, once you’ve got the basics right, keeping the Equal Business Stature going.

Show respect: when you show respect, you’ll get respect back.
Do your due diligence.
Lead every conversation in a constructive way, by asking the right questions, demonstrating knowledge and expertise, and showing your value.
Project a professional image in all your interactions: personally, and on-line.
Stand by your word, and always deliver what you promise. If something goes wrong, be honest and direct about it, and find a solution.

The Bottom Line

Creating Equal Business Stature isn’t a two-way street. It’s all about having respect for yourself as much as the other person. Sometimes people will take a condescending view of you whatever you do, and then it’s your job to enforce Equal Business Stature by civilly standing your ground, showing you’re not intimidated by them, and doing what you do. Sometimes that will mean walking away, sometimes that will mean doing the job, keeping your composure, and moving on when the job is done.

However, if you…

Show expertise.
Show client knowledge.
Demonstrate a solid, confident understanding of how your expertise and client knowledge will deliver substantial benefits to the client (and how you’ll achieve those benefits.)
And position yourself as someone who commands respect because you own the space you’re standing in, you’re bringing value to every interaction, and you’re showing you have as much respect for yourself as you do for them.

…it’s almost impossible for Equal Business Stature not to happen.

Then you can focus on building the relationship.