Kimberly Kirkendall | Global Supply Chain Upheaval & Managing Vendor Relationships in China

<p><strong>Topics Discussed and Key Points:</strong></p><p>●      How the last 18 months changed the economy forever</p><p>●      How things have changed in Kimberly’s line of work in China</p><p>●      What happened to the global supply chain and its impact on the Chinese economy</p><p>●      Moving forward in 2022 and beyond</p><p>●      Maintaining business relationships in China</p><p>●      How the business landscape in the region has changed overall</p><p>●      How the B2B buying process has evolved throughout COVID</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Episode Summary:</strong></p><p>Today on The Negotiation, we talk with Kimberly Kirkendall, founder and President at International Resource Development.</p><p>We recently had Kimberly on the show in September 2020 to discuss a myriad of topics, including the art of negotiation, building relationships, and managing suppliers, as well as interpreting and navigating written procedures and policy documents. She sits down with us almost 18 months later to speak on what’s changed since that last conversation.</p><p>In a nutshell, she believes that nobody should count on any semblance of the “old normal” rearing its head until at least 2024. From drastic shifts in the supply chain to the now-dead culture of on-demand travel to continued logistical issues and labor shortages, the many challenges of the new normal are here to stay for a long time.</p><p>With regards to the many changes in the global supply chain over the past two years, Kimberly says that China has effectively been scrambling to stay ahead of an ongoing chain reaction. It has been particularly damaging for manufacturers who for a couple of decades had been relying on just-in-time inventory and lean supply chain and logistics.</p><p>Today, building and maintaining relationships in China has become even more important than it already was prior to COVID. “You have to have <em>trust </em>on both sides,” stresses Kimberly. “You have to trust that they have your best interests at heart, and it’s