What Constitutes the "ideal vendor"?
By Julie Anderson What is the ideal vendor? In every sales transaction there is a buyer and a seller. In today's world of doing business, it seems that this relationship is under more pressure than ever. Frustration, confusion, anger and ultimately abandonment of the partnership seem to be the norm as companies adjust to the new business model.
In order to get some perspective on this, I thought it would be interesting to ask many buyers what characteristics they felt made a good vendor. The responses were very much the same. We are going to assume that quality service and price are already a consideration. Communication Suppliers need to relay information on a timely basis to the buying office. That information needs to be accurate. Give information before it is asked. Understand and
respect the buyer's time constraints. There really isn't much time left in a busy day for idle chit-chat. Today modem technology provides sellers with more options for communications. The phone has al- ways been the usual form of communication. In the chaotic world of the buyer e-mail is less intrusive and equally as effective. Send availability reports, updates on products, pictures of new products, and any deals you are offering. Auctions are becoming
more popular for suppliers to bid on product. Use the means provided to communicate your products, and value-added services. Make every word count. Understand the retail business and pressures The goal of the ideal vendor should be to make the buyer's life easier. The vendor needs to know the market of its customers. Visit them at least every quarter. Provide support in merchandising, signage, displays and product mix. Offer information for
the stores. Do short courses on concerns the stores are having. Check the competition, and help the buyer to see what is going on in their market. Provide fresh new ideas and industry trends. Put together complete price sheets and availabilities. Offer cutting-edge produce and fit them into their customer's current program. Gear your program to a chain's labor guidelines. Be careful when placing calls. If it's not an emergency, don't call a buyer the week of or after a
major holiday. Understand the buyer's distribution system. Provide assistance to make the system more efficient. Put together programs from your research of the account. Don't ask questions that are the vendor's responsibility to find out. The supplier should be the source of knowledge not just for product, but also for market trends, and demographics. They should provide the buyer with numbers about the performance of their program. The information that the
vendor finds about each of the markets provides him with a valuable source of data, which will solidify the partnership. Offer value-added services: accurate programs, rebates, ad allowances, merchandising support, and any other opportunities that will help the buyer, and ultimately the consumer. Pay attentions to details A wrong UPC or retail price on a product, incorrect packs, or incorrect costs of a product wastes a lot of labor, and ultimately will cost
the retailer sales. Service the account The ideal vendor always follows-up on any problems or samples in a timely fashion. If there is a quality problem, it should be taken care of immediately. The vendor needs to be very clear what the policy is so the retailer can provide all the information necessary to receive their credit. From the buyers perspective this is what makes an "ideal vendor." Next month's article will be "What makes the
ideal buyer." Julie Anderson is president and owner of Julie Anderson Consulting. She has been in the supermarket floral industry for 20 years, and was a director and chairman of the Floral Marketing Association. She can be contacted at juliea@thuntek.net Back to Article Index | 
