Three Areas to Focus on for Great Service Provider Relationships

Strong relationships with service providers can be the key to unlocking growth and efficiency in your business. These partnerships go beyond just transactions—when managed well, they become strategic assets that help your business thrive. On Foodbevy’s Startup to Scale podcast, Brad Ebenhoeh, CEO of Accountfully and Jordan Buckner of Foodbevy sat down to discuss the essential strategies for building successful service provider relationships. As small business owners invested in helping other small businesses, they know firsthand how to approach the service provider relationship in a way that benefits both parties.

It comes down to focusing on the following three areas; alignment, expectations and communication. Here are the takeaways from the in-depth conversation. 

1. Alignment: Setting the Foundation for Success

The first step to a strong relationship is ensuring alignment. This means setting clear expectations and confirming that your provider has the expertise and capacity to meet your needs. Here are a few steps to achieve alignment:

• Define your goals: Be specific about what you want to accomplish with the provider. Are you looking to scale, streamline operations, or solve a specific problem?  The initial sales or discovery call is a key part of discovering if there is true alignment.  

• Evaluate fit: Make sure the provider’s capabilities align with your goals. This includes their expertise, tools, and bandwidth.

• Share your vision: Communicate the bigger picture to help the provider understand how their role fits into your overall strategy.  Understanding your long term plan can help you get a sense of the provider’s longevity.  Can they support these goals with additional services or expertise down the road?

Alignment is the core of any successful partnership. Without it, even the best intentions can lead to frustration or missed opportunities.

2. Expectations: Setting the Terms of Engagement

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Similar to aligning your goals with your new service provider’s abilities, setting clear expectations. Ambiguity in expectations is one of the biggest sources of tension in service provider relationships. That’s why it’s critical to define the terms of engagement early on. This includes timelines, pricing, deliverables, and the level of involvement expected from both sides. Here’s how to do it effectively:

• Be clear and specific: Detail what success looks like, including measurable outcomes.

• Document agreements: Put everything in writing to avoid misunderstandings later. This includes contracts, project scopes, and timelines.  As a customer, read and understand your contract, service level agreements, etc. to ensure it fits within your expectations.

• Anticipate flexibility: While structure is important, allow for adjustments as circumstances evolve.  Be clear on any changes to pricing that may be required to support new or additional services required to meet these changes.

When expectations are clear, both you and your provider can stay on track, reducing the chances of frustration and ensuring a smoother workflow.  Both parties can work toward what you, as the client, are seeking as a measurement of success.

3. Communication: Building a True Partnership

It comes as no surprise that great relationships are built on open and transparent communication. This applies personally and professionally.  The goal is to move beyond a transactional relationship and foster a true partnership. Here’s how to make that happen:

• Frequency: Establish regular check-ins to discuss progress, address concerns, and adjust plans as needed.  Take advantage of regular meetings and check-ins built into these agreements–they are there for a reason.

• Transparency: Share relevant updates and feedback openly to keep everyone on the same page.  Your service provider relies on your communication about business changes to be current on your situation and meet your needs.

• Engagement: Treat your provider as part of your team. Show interest in their process and input.  Remember, you hired this person/company because they are experts.  Be open to feedback and suggestions.

By investing in consistent, honest communication, you create a foundation of trust and collaboration. This not only strengthens the relationship but also maximizes the value you receive from the partnership.

Building Long-Term Success Is Continuous

Whether you’re working with agencies, consultants, or contractors, focusing on alignment, expectations, and communication can transform your service provider relationships into powerful drivers of success. When both sides are invested in mutual growth and accountability, these relationships can thrive.  Looking at these relationships as a series of continuous improvements will keep things driving toward positive outcomes.

Gut-Check:  Are Your Current Relationships (Still) In Sync?

Sometimes relationships can get a little too comfortable when things are flowing well between the client and service provider.  Regular reflection on your current provider relationships can help you stay on top of any areas that may be falling short of the original goals. Just as you take time on a regular basis to review goals and performance in your business, your service providers should be continuously supporting these outcomes.

Here are some questions to ask yourself in these reviews:

• Are they (still) aligned with your goals?  Have recent results made progress toward what you are hoping to achieve?  Do they know your most important and up-to-date goals?  Is previous performance positively reflected in your results?
• Are expectations clear? Does your partner/provider know what to expect from you when it comes to communication frequency, style and outcomes?  Are they aware of any new goals or changes that could affect your service level or focus?  
• Is communication frequent and transparent?  Are you maximizing opportunities within your partnership/agreement, like regular check-ins and meetings?  Or are you neglecting these key benefits? Are you still in the loop when any changes or updates arise?  Does the communication cadence feel responsive and helpful?

By continuously addressing these areas, you can strengthen collaborations, trust your partners, and create a foundation for long-term success.

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For more actionable insights, and real-world examples tune in to the full podcast episode with Brad Ebenhoeh and Jordan Buckner. Together, they explore these topics in greater detail, sharing real-world examples and how-to’s to help you maximize your service provider relationships.