In a B2B setting, the size of your vendors really matters, but what size is best?
Big is not necessarily better. Neither is small. It all depends on what you need.
Large, global vendors have thousands of team members. If you need support in 40 countries simultaneously, turn to a global vendor. They can handle massive assignments, especially if the work you need done is fairly standard.
But large vendors don’t tend to be nimble or quick to react to your requests. If you need a straight answer in hours rather than weeks, choose a small or medium-sized vendor. The same is true if you require personal attention or a level of support that is truly customized. Smaller vendors have an easier time understanding your needs and establishing a level of intimacy to your business that almost makes the vendor a part of your own team.
The trick, of course, is to know what kind of service is most important to you when you need it. It’s seldom a good idea to ask a vendor to behave differently than their size makes possible.
One last point: for vendors, it’s important to be true to the reality of your situation. If you are small, offer customized service, display agility, and build strong relationships. If you are large, use scale to your customers’ advantage.
