b'\x1b\x1a\x19 \x1f\x18\x1d\x17\x16Managers DeskPROTECT COMPANY INFORMATIONBy Keith Jennings large quantities of material, lots of freight shipments and similar purchases that require R equests for company information come ingood credit. We would have to ensure many forms. Some requests are general,smooth, efficient deliveries so the OEM could like a businesss hours of operation or companyassemble the parts and ship products to its history. Other times, people ask for sensitivecustomer on time.information, like financials and personal detailsAlthough an order may become an about the owners and managers. important chunk of business for a shop, Complying with sensitive informationreleasing sensitive records and company requests may be necessary in somedetails has to be done carefully, with circumstances, such as when applying for andiscretion, and without providing information equipment loan or line of credit. Nonetheless,that wasnt requested. Owners and managers the company owner or a high-rankingshould be very picky about the information manager should carefully vet such requeststhey send. Outdated, inaccurate or poorly to determine if the information should beworded items dont make a good impression.provided. Sometimes its possible to provideIn our situation, our accountant too much information, which might exposerecommended sending certain reports, trade proprietary processes and technology and putreferences from key vendors, an endorsement a company at a competitive disadvantage.letter from our bank, and an endorsement Providing the least amount of information thatsletter and letter of credit from the material required avoids that risk while consuming lesssupplier. I asked our accountant whether I time and fewer resources. should provide actual financial statements Our shop recently received a request fromand personal guarantees. He pointed out that an OEM seeking a quote for fabricated andthe OEM didnt ask for those, so he advised machined components in sizable amounts.against sending them. Besides, they contain We worked on our response for a few weeks lots of information the client doesnt need.ironing out many details and making sure weAlso, dont overshare. My hobbies have understood the requirementsto provide anothing to do with our shops capabilities, so good bid. there is no need for a personal profile.The OEM visited our shop and received ourThe whole matter prompted me to update ideas favorably, and we established a gooda few other less-sensitive items that help rapport. At the time that this column wasinform prospective clients and are good to written, the order was pending but lookedhave at the ready, such as our equipment good. The job would be our largest single orderlist, marketing materials and credit reference in several years and would last a year or longer. sheet. Keep all professional documents As part of the quoting process, the OEMcurrent, and release the confidential stuff only understandably asked for information aboutwhen necessary.CTEour companys history, owners, capabilities and equipment. Then, as we were closer to signing the agreement, the OEM requestedKeith Jennings is president credit and financial records. This also isof Crow Corp., Tomball, understandable, as an OEM cant risk givingTexas, a family-owned a large project to a shop that isnt capable orcompany focusing on machining, metal fabrication doesnt have the necessary financial strength.and metal stamping. Contact The project would involve obtaininghim at [email protected] 2018ManagersDesk.indd 24 2/16/18 11:07 AM'