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Supplier Dilemma: Choosing Other Businesses to Work With

Written by Chloe Harwood

When you run a business, you are rarely doing things all by yourself – you also need to rely on other companies to provide various services that keep your own going strongly. Even if you just run a small company from home using only your laptop, you still need a broadband supplier who trust to supply a high level of service. And though you want to look at the bottom line price, there are also a whole range of other factors that you need to consider. So, here are some things that you need to weigh up when you are trying to overcome your supplier dilemma.

Quality

First and foremost, you need to know exactly what you are getting for your money. What exactly is it that is being promised by that particular vendor? So, if you are getting involved in finding an industrial supplier, how is their equipment or machinery going to benefit your company? You may be looking at proper refrigeration, in which case ammonia refrigeration by Alta Refrigeration is one that you may weight up against the other. As well as seeing what the company itself is promising, it is also worth checking what other businesses who have worked with them in the past are saying so you get a fuller picture of what is being offered.

Price

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Okay, we did say that price isn’t everything, but there is no doubt that it is an important factor nevertheless. You don’t want to simply go for the bottom price if you are going to receive a poor level of service. Having said that, there is no reason why you can’t negotiate with a particular vendor if you like what they are offering. After all, good bargaining is one of the central principles of running a successful company.

Service

You have looked at quality and price, now is the time to find out what sort of service you will be receiving from the company. Again, this is where it is useful to find out about recommendations from other businesses as they will be able to give you more details about what sort of service you are likely to receive if you work with the company. If you are concerned about this, you could start off dealing with them on a short-term basis to find out first-hand how they operate. If it works well, you can continue. If not, it is easier to move on a try someone else.

Alignment

This one may not be as obvious as the first three, but it is still one that is certainly worth considering. How does each supplier align with your company’s way of doing things? Are you looking for a supplier which is hands-on or would you prefer one which waits for you to contact them? Ultimately, this all depends on your own particular business structure. Over time, you will become more adept at choosing the companies that work best for you.  

About the author

Chloe Harwood