Show Your Suppliers What You Do

Do you ever have suppliers call on you and discover that they have no idea what your company does? Do you ever have suppliers try to sell you a product or service that is completely unrelated to your business?

Purchasing managers are surprised how little some suppliers know about their organization even though they have been doing business with them for many years.

This is problematic because when suppliers don’t know what you do, they are unlikely to offer useful suggestions for your company. They may be unlikely to sell you the best products or services for your purposes. Often they sell you expensive products or services that exceed your real need.

To partially overcome this problem, one purchasing manager installed a display case in the company’s lobby containing samples and photos of what the company did. Salespeople could then observe the display to learn about the potential customer.

Many companies invite all suppliers to a special day where the suppliers can tour their facilities, learn about the company’s processes and products and talk with managers and employees. The invitations are sent to the supplier’s executives, salespeople, and other key personnel. The best results are obtained by the letter coming from the buying organization’s president and personally addressed to each recipient.

The Supplier Day needs to be carefully planned with assigned guides, a written program schedule, and a planned lunch. Presentations are made by the president and department head. Subjects include a record of the company’s performance, plans for the future, and how suppliers can help achieve objectives for buyer and seller.