delivering constructive feedback to a vendor

Recently I had to deliver some constructive feedback to a vendor. I'm a big fan of feedback. I've written about it before (read more here and here) and try to practice what I preach but delivering constructive feedback is often a challenging situation and can make you feel uncomfortable. And despite the fact that I am paying a vendor money I sometimes feel more, or at least a different type of awkward delivering constructive comments to one. I wonder if I could have been more upfront, clear, or directive from the get go. 

While it's normal to get a bit nervous before delivering feedback (if you're not slightly uncomfortable then you could probably refine your approach and gain a bit of tact!) there are ways to ease the pain. 

Here are some of my strategies on delivering feedback to a vendor:

Plan ahead. Can't emphasize this enough. This is not a conversation you wing. Since conversations with vendors are often over the phone I like to have notes and I keep them right in front of me. My notes often include examples of when issues have occurred and my thoughts on ways we could have changed the approach for a more favorable outcome. 

Give examples. Concrete examples are really important. Have at least two for any issue raised. Think through the situations you plan to bring up so that you have as good and fair of recall as possible.

Have specific ideas for the improvements that you want to see. Being on the receiving end of the comment "things need to change" or "things need to improve" but not even a hint of direction of how is confusing, frustrating, and can set you up for failure. Avoid this by having some ideas of what you can do. 

If there's something you plan to or need to do better bring it up! Like any relationship this is a two way street and unless you’ve simply hired the worst person around (in which case maybe you may consider assessing you own judgment...) there are likely ways you can improve. Be upfront and honest about it. This will help move to you where you want to go plus will likely tell the vendor that you’re both serious but willing to work hard yourself. 

Have a plan for measurements/tracking. Just like not offering some thoughts on ways to improve can set you up for failure, not having a plan for measurement can do the same. Having an idea of what success looks like is important. If that's too broad even just an idea of when you'll check back in. Set these upfront so that everyone is on the same page. 

While I’m all about being transparent I also like to have "private" stage-gates in mind, points of time say 2 weeks or 4 weeks out where I check-in with myself to see if there's been improvement. Putting a note on your Outlook calendar a few weeks in advance to remember is often helpful. 

Come with an open mind. Properly preparing for difficult conversations certainly helps make them be less difficult. But it's also important to enter them with an open mind. You never know what's going to come out of another person's mouth so it's important to be open and flexible.

Good feedback is a critical part of a good relationship and will help yield good results!