You will produce exactly …You’d think vendors would be easy to work with. Friendly. Accommodating. But difficult vendors abound from construction subcontractors to professional services groups. And communicating with them requires strategy, objectivity, and focus on your part to avoid potentially costly outcomes. The perfect phrases here will guide you to getting optimal outcomes, from keeping otherwise easy vendors on your side to getting difficult ones to quietly say good-bye.
General: You must complete all reports on time.
Specific: You must complete all reports by the fifteenth of this month and provide the following: …
General: Your employees who work on our projects must be qualified.
Specific: Your employees must have the same qualifications for this role as ours do, as defined in our policy on page …
General: You must complete the project on time, as outlined in your plan.
Specific: We expect the first stage of the project to be completed on … according to the plan that you sent us on …
Here are some more perfect phrases:
You will produce exactly …
You will supply … who will be on site in our office … days a week from … to … each day.
By Friday afternoon at 5:00 each week, the temporary employee will have provided exactly …
Your representatives will make at least … calls a day between … and … Before leaving, they will forward to us their call list, including responses from their targets.
This project will entail … number of contractors who will work at your facility and send the documented project sheets on …
As a result of your efforts, we will receive … by October 15 at 5:00.
Specifically, we will go from … to … by … without requiring additional time.
Our employees will be able to … once you have completed this project. This should not entail additional work from them or anyone else from your agency.
You employee will … and … and should receive a rating of at least … from our staff after that point.
Your employee will serve as a … as listed in our roles and responsibilities manual. By the end of her tenure, she should have provided us with …
Your team will build … number of … by … All of this must be in compliance with our safety code and pass 100 percent of the safety tests.
The manager of your project has been complaining about our employees in group gatherings. In particular, while gathering at our lunch meeting, I heard her refer to our project manager as …
Your employee must comply with our dress standard. He currently comes to work in jeans and sandals.
Since your employee has been working for us, three employees have complained to me about a smell from the direction of his office.
I have asked your employee for her weekly task record and have not received one yet—although she has worked for us for two months.
Several of our customers have complained that your employee has made "suggestive," "insulting," and "sexual" comments.
Our culture is one of openness and sharing—we expect the same from anyone who works here.
We believe in treating everyone—customers, employees, and outside support—with respect.
Our employees believe in a team approach to all their projects.
We emphasize collaboration; we can achieve this only if your employees provide the required data regularly.
We are goal oriented.
We value honesty and openness, above all.
Quick tip: When citing third-person comments, be sure to quote precisely what the person said. Do not make that accusation yourself—let accusers speak for themselves.
She has not provided the manual that we agreed would be forthcoming by November 10.
Although you were supposed to complete the entryway by August 4, the foundation has not even been laid.
You were supposed to … by … yet the first stage of … has not been completed yet.
Your employee was supposed to fulfill these seven tasks, as stated in our agreement. At this point, she has only … and …
As we stated in our agreement, he must be trained in … Yet he claims he "doesn’t know the first thing about it."
I expect you to tell me exactly how you will remedy the problem and by what date.
What sort of training do you intend to provide for your employees?
Since they are two months late, you need to inform us of how you are going to make up for the lost time.
So we can meet our goals, you must tell us …
How will you ensure she sends us the data on time, every week, as outlined in our agreement?
Quick tip: When making a claim, give proof. When citing third-person comments, be sure to quote precisely what the people said. Do not make that accusation yourself—let accusers speak for themselves.
Show unfortunate outcomes:
As a result of this error, …
The delays to this project because of this matter have cost us … in dollars and … in employee time.
According to our customer, they are no longer engaging our service because your employee …
Because your employee … we did not get …
Among other matters, our employees have complained that …
Among other matters, our clients have complained that …
I hope you understand the situation. Please contact me with questions. Otherwise, I expect to hear from you about solutions by early next week.
If you would like to add anything to these comments, please let me know. Otherwise, I expect that we will move forward as you outlined in your revised plans.
As we agreed, to address this problem you will …
Unless you have any changes, I will consider this plan a commitment as we move forward.
As you stated, you will replace them with two employees who have the required credentials.
We already asked you to … in our May 4 e-mail … When will you have this done?
This is the third time I have asked you for this … I will not ask again.
This is the second time that we reminded you of … What will you do to get this done?
We contacted you twice by e-mail and once by phone about this matter, yet you haven’t responded.
Quick tip: Yes, threaten legal action, but only if you plan to follow through.