Mirror mirror – why suppliers that have a ‘good cultural fit’ with your business, matter for a successful relationship

A supplier’s culture should be used to judge their capacity to work with you along with their efficiency, capacity, quality and costs. It’s is an integral part of the supplier selection process, particularly when choosing a web-design agency.

But what do we mean when we use the term ‘culture’ and why does it matter so much when there is simply a job to be done – or a website to create? 

Well, culture revolves around the attitudes and values of a company and if you and your chosen agency have a good cultural fit, it will result in numerous benefits. Some of these benefits will include: the agency doing their utmost to satisfy you as their client, even if they’ve been let down elsewhere in the process by a longer supply chain; their responsiveness when you or your own clients change their minds and alterations need to be made quickly; their understanding of your business, your product and how that needs to be captured on screen; and their attitude to listening to your exact requirements in order to create a superior product.

Naturally, a poor cultural fit can have the opposite effect which, unsurprisingly, will result in additional cost to your business. This is why it is important you take care when selecting your web-design agency and ensure you really have chosen the best web-designer for you. 

After all, your website is often the first introduction your customers have to you; it needs to be right.

When researching web-design agencies, or any other supplier for your business, it might be prudent to ask what their company values are (if they are not already on their website), who their best customers are and why, if they would like to see you as one of their clients and if they have any previous experience of working with a client who did not have a good cultural fit.

After all, when you select any supplier, it should be as if they are an extension of your own team and teams work best when they mirror each other. Even if culture varies slightly within departments, the overarching culture should be similar, to enable a superior result for any work and/or products created. 

Culture is, after all, what defines groups of people for what they have been and what they are now. Your business suppliers, in all their capacities, shape the structure of your company meaning balance and harmony is key.

Without suppliers, businesses cannot operate and in reality, they are intrinsic to any and every business. Often, the foundations for good supplier relationships have been solidified even before a contract has been signed so whether it’s a three-month IT project or a three-year contract to create and update your bespoke website, the message is the same; a good cultural fit can only ever result in rewarding, effective and productive business relationships.

Cover image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay