Part Six
Perfect Phrases for Communicating with Difficult Vendors and Employees from Other Departments

Naturally, you expect visitors to your office to be on their best behavior. After all, they represent their company or department. And at least with vendors, you are the client. You are paying their bills. You are working together for a common goal. Aren’t you?

So when these should-be-easygoing workers end up sabotaging your plans, what do you do? Certainly you can’t fire them—at least not right away. As everyone knows, skilled contractors can be hard to find. And you can’t demote them or write new objectives for next year, since you’re not their boss. But you can assert your authority and get clear and specific results by communicating the right message at the right time. Here are some ideas:

Keep records. Most likely, you have records about bills, roles and responsibilities, and project terms. But document every meaningful conversation or decision in a meeting. Make sure that you e-mail the contractor and provide the opportunity to change or clarify any points. This may prove your saving grace if the contractor reneges on the deal or, just as likely, denies it ever existed. By the way, the more specific, the better. "Early delivery" could mean "weeks" to the contractor and "minutes" to you.

Think outcomes—not actions. When negotiating terms, whether for support staff in your office or for a delivery of computer parts, outline the outcomes you expect. This will ensure that you don’t pay for a consultant who walks in and out the door every day but rather for a consultant who drafts critical information in a report. Oh, and while you’re at it, be sure to mention the kind of information you need, how much of it you need, and how you’re going to use it. You don’t want to pay for useless details or pay twice for getting what you asked for.

Articulate expectations in your terms. Did the vendor neglect to send you a shipment on time? Did your contractor miss work three days in a row? It’s one thing to complain. It’s another to assert your expectations: what you want in the future and how the vendor can make up for the past. Don’t leave that decision up to him or her by the way—be precise. Reveal the cost of their actions to you and accept payment for that amount. And yes, you will need to negotiate, but by being clear, you’ll control the terms.

Stay tuned: In the following sections, you’ll get perfect phrases to help.