A former CEO looked back at his experience with recruiters.
I once had a potential recruiter approach me with a few surface-level questions about our business during a meeting. However, they failed to ask the most important question: Why we had agreed to the meeting in the first place. This left me feeling unimpressed by their approach.
During the pitch, the recruiter emphasized features that were not essential to our business needs. It was evident that they didn’t care about what was important to us. This experience taught me the difference between a vendor and a partner.
Although both vendors and partners sell their services, a vendor is transactional in their approach. They offer a product or service without necessarily addressing your specific business needs. On the other hand, a partner sells you solutions that are tailored to address your business problems.
From that experience, I learned that vendors are best used for short-term needs, while partners are essential for long-term solutions. When selecting a partner, it’s crucial to consider their ability to provide solutions that meet your business needs rather than simply selling you features that are irrelevant to your operations.
