This process seems complicated, but it is not. Because suppliers have to meet several factors: first, competitive prices; Second, stable prices; Third, meet the customer’s delivery needs; Fourth, excellent quality: fifth, convenient communication.
These are the five I think are the most important, and the other elements complement them. A competitive price is important, and. High prices weaken their competitiveness, but also affect the interests of customers. But price stability is also very important, most customers can not accept the constant price change suppliers, think it is not safe, the price change will seriously affect the sales plan.
Retailers pay more attention to supply price stability and often ask suppliers to provide quotations valid for at least two years. Only in this way will it be able to set the retail price with ease and the price will be stable. Price instability is very taboo for consumers, but also buyers.
As for quality and delivery time, they are both necessary factors. If there is a problem with the quality of the product, the supplier is naturally not free to accept orders to purchase, otherwise; it is to break their signboards, is to bury hidden dangers for themselves, may also face consumer complaints and claims. The date of delivery is equally important. If the retailer places an order, we arrange the storage; they keep the shelves; they complete the promotion, and it prints the advertisement, the supplier should delay the delivery. What should we do? So, delivery time is the key factor to consider.
Even if something goes wrong, a professional buyer should always have a backup supplier.
Besides, the “communication” part is also very important. Because people complete the operation of the order, it connects the buyer with the supplier. In this process, a very important link is communication. As we mentioned in the first section, if the sales agent has low work efficiency, it is a “squeeze toothpaste” type. If the sales agent is a procrastinator, it will delay everything for ten days and a half months. If the sales agent is constantly paranoid, always worried about being cheated here, there is a trap, even an inconsiderable matter requires email, phone, fax confirmation, ask, the buyer will spend a lot of time dealing with this supplier and even this order? Not.
As a result, barriers to “communication” can seriously affect work, orders, future cooperation, and costs. A “good” supplier is one who keeps the details right, saves the buyer’s time, gives professional advice, responds to the buyer’s emails efficiently, and deals with problems. This saves the customer the cost of communication and time to do something else instead of having to worry about you blowing the order.
Perfect communication can make the buyer and make him (her) feel that if I place the order to you, I will have no worries. With your professionalism and carefulness, there will be no trouble. Even if there is a problem, you will tell him or her ahead of time and give your professional opinion without his or her worrying about it.
If you consider these five ways to narrow down your supplier choice, you cannot go wrong. If you still face issues, you can consult the best market guide for product sourcing in China.
In case you do not find a good sourcing agent, you can also consult a China supplier audit company. These companies have experience of working with a lot of manufacturers and suppliers. They are good at handling the audit and can extend other services like Dropshipping, Amazon FBA, product sourcing, market analysis, quality inspections, and shipping as well. Look for recommendations for these companies on Google or other business listing websites like Alibaba and more.