My take on attracting potential agencies and partners

Choosing the right agency or partner is of paramount importance in today’s inter-connected world where relationships has emerged as the single most critical factor, and even more so especially for businesses that have various interests in diversified industry sectors. In this article, I hope to highlight some of the critical points to managing and sustaining mutual relationships for continued success and dynamic growth. It is only justifiable firstly to give a brief introduction to myself and my hands-on experience having led many initiatives in this regard.

Having had my many career stints in industries such as healthcare, retail, FMCG and electronics across the European and Asian region, I took up the role of Managing Director and CEO at a 125-year old Swiss-owned company in Sri Lanka which has cultivated a distinctive reputation for being the first in many industry initiatives with a knack for innovation. Being a Swiss national myself, I really found this to be the ideal opportunity and fit to bring all my knowledge and exposure. Since I took up the seat at the helm of the leadership, I am immensely proud to say that the company is exhibiting a more accelerated growth in various sectors, ranging from agriculture, healthcare and consumer goods to industrial raw materials, machinery, airlines and education.

The long-standing partnerships established and fostered throughout the many decades is only growing stronger and resilient than ever, and so is our workplace which is also recognized as one of the best in the country. I also took the lead in committing the company with the United Nations Global Compact and its SDGs. In recognition of all this, I was also bestowed with the Most Admired CEO of the Year title by a local magazine publication.

The company has numerous agencies and partners, MNC’s of worldwide repute, many of them being Swiss, European and US based. The company has created that culture and reputation for trust, reliability and quality, and consecutively delivering on the promises. Representing some of the best-in-class products, established end-to-end logistics solutions with an island-wide reach and distribution network, expertise in marketing and sales, and enjoying a highly loyal consumer base, the company has evolved to one of the most sought-after partners for the Sri Lankan market for various agencies across the world. This ranges from consumer (food and beverage, nutrition including medical, personal care, household care, food ingredients), healthcare (pharmaceuticals, surgical and diagnostics, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals), agriculture (fertilizer, plant production, animal healthcare, laboratory services, seeds, advisory and extension, innovation), education (with the world’s number one hospitality management school), industrial raw materials (textile and coating effects, lubricants, home care, filtration services), and textile machinery.

It's crucial to have shared values.

For us, this is why we are able to sustain our partners as they share similar values and traditions with a majority of them being Swiss-based such as ourselves. This also fits well with our working styles in many instances. But it necessarily doesn’t have to be the same nationality or geographic concentration, in fact, just about any agency or partner whose vision and aspirations closely match with yours, is an ideal fit. Both partners need to have the hunger for a mutually shared vision, with a clear and sound understanding of the expectations and outcome of each other, spurred by the mindset and attitude of growing together.

"The most emerging and hidden signals and pattern in the industry and wider environment, enabling us to take all possible measures and contingencies."

Be honest and keep all communications open.

This is often a much overlooked aspect and one that is most damaging if not given its due consideration. Partners value those who are just straightforward and honest especially when things are not going according to what was expected or anticipating any internal or external volatile condition in the future. Many tend to withdraw or hide such information, when in fact in my experience; I have found it quite the opposite. We are always communicative about all what’s going on, and we do so in a more pro-active way than being reactive. We don’t take our partners as outsiders, they are an integral part of our core operations and we don’t just feel obliged to but rather we love to be open and discuss all challenges and possibilities together. 

Keep adding value to each other.

We don’t just go after those that have a renowned reputation and just sits on their comfort zone; rather we go for those that have that reputation plus a continued appetite for innovation and value addition. We blend well with those that have an approach to challenging the status quo, than just maintaining their position in the market. This is how we have been able to grow together, by sharing our indigenous knowledge, insights and valuable information with each other. These feedbacks go a long way, to even capture some of the most emerging and hidden signals and pattern in the industry and wider environment, enabling us to take all possible measures and contingencies.

Creating impactful and meaningful solutions.

We don’t have the mindset of having that quantity, rather we bet on the quality of our partners. Those that are recognized for delivering impactful solutions to consumers and the industry, rather than just being highly commercial oriented. Whilst the latter is obvious, we also ensure that our partners are among those that add meaning to society and environment. In other words, being more socially and ethically responsible in their products, services and actions. It’s just not a feel-good strategy for us, but rather one where we all are morally obliged and responsible, towards our employees, partners, communities, shareholders, and the environment.