Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2024-03-01 Origin: Site
Many entrepreneurs find themselves hitting a brick wall when it comes time to actually source products. Whether you plan on manufacturing something of your own or finding suppliers to purchase from wholesale, good products aren’t always easy to find.
In this post, I will share some basics of sourcing a supplier for your next project. We’ll give you ideas for some places to search, and examine how you should approach suppliers and what to ask them when developing a product for your business.
A manufacturer is any business that produces finished goods from raw materials. They sell these goods to consumers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and other manufacturers wanting to create more complex items.
Contact and learn about the Shelf Suppliers you pick
Now you can get on to the nitty-gritty:
* Get a written quotation and, if relevant and possible, a sample of the product. When asking for this make sure to provide them with a brief summary of exactly what you need, how often it will be required (based on your estimates) and so forth.
* After you have received the quotes compare the suppliers with each other. Pricing shouldn’t be your main consideration because a lower price could easily mean lesser quality and that just isn’t cost-efficient. Rather look at what is most important to you. Is it location, shipping options or something else?
* Remember to look at whether the suppliers sub-contract. If they do, investigate the sub-contractors to see if you are also satisfied with them.
* Take ethics into consideration as well. Who you are aligned within a business can make or break your reputation to those you sell to or want to sell to in the future. How are employees treated? What are working conditions like?
After all that has been done, you can move on to drawing up a contract with the supplier including the terms and conditions that will benefit both of you.
In general, you can refer to these 5 Points to review your purchase plan:
1. The most important thing to do before starting the process of finding a supplier is to find out exactly what your needs are. After all, if you don’t know your needs, you won’t know what requirements to look for.
2. Don’t focus too much on pricing. If you can get products for a cheap price but are constantly let down by the service then it isn’t worth it in the long run.
3. Do a credit check. If your supplier doesn’t have sufficient cash flow, there is a chance they might go out of business as soon as you need them the most.
4. Don’t buy from too many suppliers. Using fewer suppliers is more cost-effective and easier to manage. However, don’t put your eggs in one basket by getting everything from only one supplier. This way when things don’t work out with that one supplier you won’t be completely stranded.
5. Ask people who are currently dealing with the suppliers you’re looking at for their advice and experience with a particular supplier. They might be able to save you a lot of time.