If you’re a store owner, you know the importance of establishing a solid working relationship with a good wholesale vendor. According to data gathered from the past few years, there are more than 300,000 companies who identify as U.S. wholesale distributors. That’s a large pool of potential wholesalers to choose from. So how do you choose? We’ve got four easy tips to keep in mind before you choose your next wholesale supplier.
Quality
You might think that the right price is the first thing you should look for when seeking out wholesalers, but in reality, your first step should be to inspect the quality of the product you’re buying. You might find the right price for a particular product you’re purchasing from a wholesaler, but if that product is low-quality and prone to malfunctioning, are you really getting a good deal? Your customers expect high quality out of the products they buy from you, so you have to keep them in mind as well. Do a little research on a company before you make a deal with them, and maybe request a hands-on demonstration of their products as a precautionary measure.
Price
Now that we’ve gotten the most important aspect of choosing a wholesale supplier out of the way, it’s time to consider the second most important thing: price. The relationship between a wholesaler and buyer is symbiotic; they both need each other to survive. If one business suffers, then the other does as well. And if one succeeds, then the other is likely to see success, too. This is why it’s important for both sides to work together on a fair price that benefits each company. A wholesaler can’t give a buyer a bad deal and expect that relationship to continue, and vice versa. If the price is right, both sides will benefit.
Goals
Do you have a common goal in mind with your wholesaler? Are you both working toward reaching that goal through a similar business strategy? Finding a common goal with your wholesaler, whether it be through customer service, easy negotiations, or maybe even environmental concerns, is an important factor to keep in mind. It’s hard to work with another business that doesn’t share, or perhaps is even downright against, the goals and values that your business upholds. Finding common goals helps new relationships form, and maintains the strength of decades-old partnerships.
Research
It’s pretty easy to find the right wholesalers once you start looking around. We recommend you browse through the hundreds of categories on FGmarket to find exactly what you’re looking for. There are also plenty of trade shows to explore where vendors come out to show off their products and services. For more on trade shows that are going happening in 2017, check out our Marketing & Show Schedule!
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