Are You About to Get Fired (from Your Vendor)?

Despite conventional wisdom, being a customer does not mean you always have the last word.  You have probably read plenty of articles lately on firing your customers (here's ours)  and maybe you have even thought about firing a couple of your own pain-in-the-ass customers. But have you ever wondered if your company is a difficult client?  Personally I can tell you that I (my company) has been fired a couple of times.  Looking back, I believe that in one instance I was glad that we were fired because I was complaining for sub-standard work.  The other time however, we were fired because we (me and one of my colleagues – but primarily me) were the proverbial pain the in ass. We kept asking for more that was beyond the scope of the original engagement. A friend of mine was telling me that she just fired a client because they complained too much and for no good reason. On top of that, they were a small client and did not pay on time. So while the media is talking about firing your customers, get a little introspective and see if you are giving reason for some of your favorite suppliers to fire you.