Product Genius, the Podcast for Inventors, Entrepreneurs, and Startups
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Episode
240
The Importance of Relationships in Product Development | Flash of Genius
Strong product development is about more than CAD, prototypes, factories, and purchase orders—it is also about people. In this Flash of Genius mini-episode, Steven and Noah discuss why building genuine relationships with vendors, suppliers, manufacturers, and product-development partners can lead to better communication, stronger collaboration, and the occasional above-and-beyond rescue when something goes sideways. Using a recent experience with ZLabs3D, they explore why inventors should invest time in the relationships that are critical to bringing an invention to market.
Core Topics for this episode:
- Inventor Strategy
- Invention Process
Key Takeaways Include:
Listen here:
Episode Blog
The Importance of Relationships in Product Development
Product development is full of technical decisions.
Materials. Prototypes. CAD. Manufacturing processes. Tooling. Pricing. Logistics.
But some of the most important assets in an inventor’s business cannot be modeled in CAD or listed on a bill of materials.
They are relationships.
In this Flash of Genius mini-episode, Noah McNeely and Steven Julian talk about why strong relationships with vendors, suppliers, manufacturers, and development partners can make a very real difference when you are trying to bring an invention to market.
The conversation was sparked by a simple experience with ZLabs3D. Michael and Allison went above and beyond to personally deliver some 3D-printed parts for Noah. They did not have to do it. They simply knew him, understood the situation, and wanted to help.
That kind of service is difficult to order from a website.
Relationships Create Better Communication
There is nothing wrong with transactional suppliers.
Sometimes you need stamps. You buy stamps.
Sometimes you need a standard part. You order it online, receive a shipping confirmation, and move on with your life.
But the more critical a supplier becomes to the success of your product, the more valuable a real relationship becomes.
Imagine a production part is going to be late.
With a purely transactional supplier, you may discover the problem when the automated system finally updates—or when the shipment simply fails to arrive.
A supplier who knows you may call first.
“Hey, we had a problem with this part. We’re fixing it. We’re going to be a day late, and here’s what we’re doing about it.”
That conversation can be enormously valuable when your own schedule, client, prototype build, or product launch depends on the answer.
The relationship does not magically prevent manufacturing problems.
It improves the way people work through them together.
People Naturally Go the Extra Mile for People They Know
Noah makes an important distinction: strong relationships do not mean a vendor gives poor service to everyone else.
It is simply human nature that when we know someone, understand what they are trying to accomplish, and care about the outcome, we are more likely to notice opportunities to help.
Maybe someone squeezes in a small job.
Maybe they warn you about a problem before it becomes expensive.
Maybe they suggest a better manufacturing approach.
Maybe they personally deliver a part when circumstances make that helpful.
Maybe they simply spend an extra ten minutes thinking about your problem because they understand the bigger picture.
Those little moments can become significant advantages during product development.
Critical Partners Deserve More Than a Purchase Order
Not every business relationship needs to become personal.
But Noah offers a useful rule:
The more critical someone is to your success, the more valuable the relationship becomes.
For an inventor, that might include:
- A product-development firm
- A prototype shop
- A 3D-printing supplier
- A machine shop
- A contract manufacturer
- An overseas factory
- An electronics developer
- A packaging supplier
- A patent professional
- A logistics partner
These people may eventually know things about your product that are difficult to communicate through a generic order form.
They understand your priorities.
They know what matters and what does not.
They know your history.
They may even recognize a problem before you do.
That institutional knowledge becomes part of the value of the relationship.
Relationships Matter Across Borders Too
Noah points out that this is not limited to local vendors.
He has developed strong personal relationships with suppliers and manufacturing partners in China as well as throughout the United States.
Distance does not prevent a relationship.
You can still communicate regularly, learn about the people you work with, understand their businesses, and allow them to understand yours.
For inventors working with overseas factories, this can be especially important.
Manufacturing inevitably involves questions, changes, misunderstandings, and unexpected problems.
A factory contact who understands you and your product can be dramatically more useful than an anonymous inbox on the other side of the world.
But Relationships Take Time
Steven points out the obvious obstacle.
Inventors and entrepreneurs are busy.
There are always another 872 things demanding attention.
Building relationships can feel less urgent than getting the quote, approving the prototype, or placing the order.
But relationships are cumulative.
They are not created by being nice to someone once and expecting permanent VIP treatment.
They grow through repeated interactions.
A conversation here.
A project there.
Following up.
Showing appreciation.
Learning a little about the person beyond the transaction.
Letting them learn something about you.
Over time, trust develops.
And trust makes business easier.
Don’t Force It
There is also such a thing as trying too hard.
As Noah jokes, you probably do not want to call a new supplier for the first time and immediately tell them your entire life story.
Good business relationships usually develop naturally.
Be interested in the people you work with.
Communicate clearly.
Be dependable yourself.
Treat suppliers as partners rather than vending machines.
Give the relationship room to develop.
Not every vendor will respond the same way, and not every transaction needs that level of connection.
The point is to recognize which relationships matter enough to cultivate.
Good Relationships Work Both Ways
There is an important implication behind the entire conversation.
If you want great partners, be a great partner.
Answer questions.
Pay people when you said you would.
Respect their expertise.
Communicate changes.
Do not manufacture artificial emergencies and expect everyone else to rescue you.
And when someone genuinely goes above and beyond, recognize it.
Relationships become valuable because both sides begin to trust that the other person will behave reasonably when things get complicated.
And product development gets complicated.
The Product Genius Take
Inventors spend enormous amounts of time searching for the right vendor.
That is important.
But once you find a good one, do not treat the relationship as disposable.
Get to know the people who are important to your success.
Let them understand what you are building and why it matters.
Develop trust gradually.
The best product-development partners often become more valuable with every project because they understand your expectations, your working style, and the kinds of problems you are trying to solve.
A good supplier can make a part.
A great relationship can help you build a business.
And if the relationship ever gets tense, apparently Noah and Steven recommend taking it offline.
Or, read the full transcript here:
Steven Julian
It's Flash of Genius. Yes, it's us hitting a topic, hitting it quickly, but that doesn't mean we don't get to the depth of it. We're talking about the importance of building relationships. Noah, I had a mentor of mine tell me one time that it is all about relationships.
Noah McNeely
Yeah, depending on what it is in the sentence, but yeah, absolutely.
Steven Julian
What is it in this show?
Noah McNeely
So in this show, I just want to talk about something that happened recently that reminded me of the importance of this. Our good friends at Z Labs 3D, they went over above and beyond for me. They brought, you know, they delivered something here personally. They didn't have to do that, but they were like, hey, we'll do it. Some 3D prints. And it got me to thinking that I have a really good relationship with Michael and Allison there. You know, we actually, when they came here, we actually talked about our kids' Halloween costumes and et cetera.
Just had a nice, nice chat. The vendors or the partners or whoever you're working with, in my experience, the more you get to know them as people, the better service you're. going to get. Not necessarily because they give bad service to other people, but I think this is just natural human nature. If we have an opportunity to go above and beyond for someone we know. We're going to do it. And this applies to some of the people I work with, even in China. I have great relationships with people there. It applies to various vendors and suppliers I have throughout the United States.
The ones that do the best job for me are the ones I can talk to personally. The ones I sometimes have the least success with are the ones that are more... You've done everything just by virtual. You know, you fill out the form on the website and you order your thing. And then you might get an email back that, hey, your order shipped. But if your order ships late, you're going to get that email three days late. And whereas if you have a personal relationship, that person is going to call you and say, hey, you know, this part messed up.
We're going to fix it. We're going to bring it to you. But we're going to be a day late. And here's the deal. That's not what happened with Z-Labs. Their parts turned out well. That was a totally different situation, which actually was all my fault, but they covered for me.
Steven Julian
So the importance of building relationships, it takes time.
Noah McNeely
Yes.
Steven Julian
And there are certain things that we do in business that are like, I don't have time. I just got to get it done. And that's fine. I got to get stamps. I'm just going to go pick up stamps or I'm going to get stamps delivered to me. But there are certain things, your vendors, your partners, there are, you can build relationships anywhere and everywhere, but sometimes it's more important the key seats around the table of what you're trying to do. Yeah.
Noah McNeely
Anything that's critical to your success, the closer relationship you have with that vendor or partner, whatever it is. The better off you're going to be.
Steven Julian
But the thing I'm going to say that's an obstacle sometimes is status quo. Sometimes we're like, oh, yeah, I'd love to take time to really develop the relationship or build a relationship, but I got 872 things to do or I don't want to change the. relationship I already have. This is going to be an ongoing thing. Relationships are ongoing. It's not one time. Oh, I was nice to them that one time, so they should go out of their way to do something for me.
Noah McNeely
You also don't necessarily want to be that guy that calls them up on the phone the first time and tells them your whole life story, because that kind of might push it in the opposite direction. It takes time. It can be gradual, but just gradually. get to know them, let them get to know you. Not everybody's going to respond to that, but I found it to be a very effective way to have really good partners in the industry.
Steven Julian
We have a lot of fun on this show, and this show is about business. And I would say that this show has developed because of the relationships that the three of us, you and I and Jody, have developed and Tiffany developed with us.
Noah McNeely
Imagine how much this would suck if you just came in and we knew nothing about each other and you started talking.
Steven Julian
That would be terrible. Yes. Thankfully. And we appreciate everybody. being here. So as you go through your day, as you listen to this Flash of Genius and you get back out into your day and you go into tomorrow and the next day, as you're building your business, don't forget to build those relationships.
Noah McNeely
Absolutely.
Steven Julian
For Noah, for Jody, this is Steven. It's been Flash of Genius. We'll catch you next time and we'll go a lot longer and hopefully not be boring at all.
Noah McNeely
What do you mean?
Steven Julian
I don't know.
Noah McNeely
That was not boring. What? You got a problem? We're taking this offline.
Steven Julian
We need to talk about our relationship.