Learn how to find reliable suppliers and manufacturers for your business with Orderbook’s 6 essential steps, ensuring quality products and timely delivery.

Your business's success is directly linked to your access to the correct suppliers and manufacturers. The presence or absence of a reliable supplier can make or break your commercial dreams. A good supplier delivers high-quality products on time. On the contrary, a bad one leads to frequent delays, defects, and financial losses.
In this post, we will help you find suppliers and manufacturers best suited for your business through these 6 steps:

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Table Of content

Define Your Requirements:

Get an idea of what your ideal supplier should offer to you. When your requirements from the supplier are defined, the search becomes convenient.

How Does it Help?

Narrows Your Search: With a list of requirements ready in your hand, the ideal supplier is only a few answers away. 

Clear Ground for Evaluation: A proper understanding of what you expect from your supplier is like a corset for the position. The potential supplier either fits or doesn’t. You are left with a clear answer. 

Avoid Commercial Losses: You could learn about the incompatibility of a supplier through prior evaluation of whether they meet your requirements or they don’t. Or you could partner with them and only come to realize their incompetence at helping you execute your vision with your business after you have suffered heavy losses because of them. 

What to Consider?

Product Specifications: Cover the specifications of the product, including quality, quantity, and timeline requirements.

Budget: Negotiate the budget for the product or service after you have determined one by yourself, including constraints and limitations.

Quality Standards: Include the certifications, testing, and inspection requirements that you expect from your supplier.

Lead Time and Delivery: Establish the supplier’s total lead time and shipping method(s) depending on the volume and urgency of the orders. 

Communication and Support: Lay out your expectations with communication and support with queries, including the language, response time, and technical support requirements.

Regulatory Compliance: Make sure your suppliers comply with the laws and regulations relevant to your industry and its standards. 

Sustainability and Social Responsibility: Consider checking the ethical implementation of practices about environmental policies, labor practices, and community engagement. 

Example of a List of Requirements:

For a small business, running an apparel store, the requirements list for their wholesale supplier could look like this:

  • Product Specifications: High-quality cotton fabric, 100% cotton, 180 gsm
  • Quantity: 500-800 meters per month
  • Lead Time: 3-4 weeks
  • Quality Standards: ISO 9001-certified, testing and inspection records required
  • Budget: INR 200 per meter
  • Communication: English language required; respond within 18 hours

Use Online Directories and Platforms:

Utilize tools like online directories and online platforms to find your business and some potential suppliers. The purpose these platforms serve is to connect buyers with suppliers. 

How Does It Help?

Convenient: Searching and connecting with suppliers from the comfort of your office is very convenient. 

Time-Efficient: Finding suppliers and manufacturers out, in the physical market, can get extremely time consuming, as opposed to using online directories and platforms.

Access to a vast network: Your reach gets significantly amplified with online networking.

Verified suppliers: A lot of these platforms ensure you are working with reputable suppliers.

What to Consider

Resort to Specific Keywords: Narrow your search down on grounds of relevance by using keywords specific to your product line or service.

Filter Search Results: Allow for filtered searches on grounds of location, certification, and ratings to help you pick among more convenient options.

Verify Supplier Profiles: Look through their experience, certifications, and ratings. 

Contact Multiple Suppliers: Reach out to a bunch of potential suppliers and then compare their offerings against each other including prices, quality, and services. 

Examples of Popular Online Directories and Platforms:

IndiaMart: A popular B2B marketplace that connects buyers with suppliers in India.

Alibaba: Another popular platform that connects buyers with suppliers across Asia. 

OrderBooks: An e-commerce platform that helps you start an e-commerce website and allows access to Indian suppliers and manufacturers. 

Employ Social Media to Use

Social media’s ability to help your business is immense. From finding the best suppliers for your company to fundraising to creating a store or even marketing- social media is your answer to most of your problems about starting and running a business. 

How Does It Help?

Expanding your Network: You get connected to the best suppliers and manufacturers in the country and the world.

Gathering Information: You can ask questions and collect knowledge and information about suppliers and manufacturers on these platforms.

Foster Relationships: Reach out, build trust, and establish relationships with potential suppliers and manufacturers.

What to Consider?

Make a Professional Profile: Create a profile that is professional and complete.

Participate in Relevant Groups: Join groups and communities that are relevant to your industry.

Seek Advice: Ask questions from suppliers, manufacturers, and industry experts and seek advice from them.

Share your Expertise: Offer insight about what you know, so you can establish yourself as a reliable expert.

Engage: Respond to queries from others that fall under your expertise. Utilize your reputation to foster professional relationships that translate to help later.

Examples of Social Media Platforms for B2B Networking:

LinkedIn: A popular choice among seekers for B2B connections.

Twitter: A great place for like-minded professionals and individuals to find each other.

Facebook and WhatsApp Groups: Industry-specific groups meant to connect suppliers and manufacturers with buyers are ideal.

Attend Industry Events

Another way to connect with potential suppliers is to meet them in person during trade shows and industry events. These events work as a brilliant platform for you to network.

How Does It Help?

In-Person Interactions: Establishing personal connections gets easy with face-to-face interactions.

Product Demonstrations: In-person contact allows you to witness product demonstrations and products firsthand.

Networking Opportunities: Build connections with industry experts, suppliers, and manufacturers.

Get Market Trends and Insights: Stay updated on the industry’s insights and the latest market trends. 

What to Consider?

Research the Exhibitors and the Event: Gather information about the event from the event website and social media. Review the exhibitor’s list and check if it aligns with your objectives.

Set Clear Goals: What is the main reason for you to attend the event? Write down all possible objectives and make sure they are specific, well-defined, and achievable. 

Prepare a Pitch: What do you want to achieve with your pitch and who do you intend to pitch to? Write it down to fit 30 seconds to a minute of speech. Emphasize the benefits of using simple language. Practice and get feedback before you go to the event.

Bring Business Cards and Follow Up: Towards the end, hand the shortlisted candidates, your business card and remember to follow up after the event is over. 

Examples of Trade Shows:

Paris Fashion Week: Ideal for fashion industry experts.

National Retail Federation: A leading trade show for retail industry experts. 

Hannover Messe: Best suited for IT sector businesses. 

Assess Potential Suppliers:

Once you have your shortlisted set of suppliers, assess them thoroughly to decide your best pick. 

How Does It Help?

Assess their Capabilities: Evaluate each supplier’s ability so they meet your requirements.

Compare all Options: Going by strengths and weaknesses, compare all the shortlisted candidates.

Identify Probable Risks: Analyze the potential risks associated with every supplier.

What to Consider?

The Quality of Products: Establish benchmarks and criteria for a thorough evaluation of products. Review product datasheets and material composition to test the quality of products.

Price and Terms of Payment: Understand the pricing models, look for discounts, data protection, and secure payment processing to evaluate and see which supplier aligns best with your vision.

Communication: Ensure availability and communication channels (phone, email, or chat), and response times for the respective channels. Look for professionalism, dedication to customer service, and availability of multilingual support. 

Financial Ability: Make sure that your supplier has the financial bandwidth to supply you with products and services of the best quality at the time required. Ensure they have enough goodwill and creditworthiness. 

Examples of Evaluation

Request for Information (RFI): RFI allows you to request information about the products from the supplier or manufacturer.

Request for Quotation (RFQ): RFQ allows you to request a price quotation from your supplier or manufacturer. 

Confirm from References:

Contact the references of the suppliers to gather information about their performance and reliability. 

Negotiate Terms:

Once you have finalized a supplier, negotiate terms that you find less favorable. The goal is to build trust while negotiating prices, payment terms, defining quality standards and expectations and establishing clear communication channels.

How Does It Help?

Improved Communication: Establishing a good relationship with your supplier makes communication and understanding better and more upto each other’s needs.

More Trust: It builds trust with your supplier and leads to a confidence in their ability to deliver what you expect from them.

More Favourable Pricing: Negotiating prices can make finances more favorable for you.

What to Consider?

Clarity in Expectations: Communicate what you expect from your supplier regarding their services 

Speak with Respect and Professionalism: You are to maintain a respectable and professional tone of communicating with your supplier at all times.

Be Keen to Negotiate: Show flexibility and willingness to negotiate and compromise.

Establish a Contract: To finalize the deal, always, draw a legally binding contract that expresses all necessary terms. 

Example of a Contract:

The Ambit of Work: The supplier is to provide 700 meters of 180gsm cotton fabric every month.

Terms of Payment: The payment is to be made within 3 weeks of delivery at the price of INR 200 per meter

Quality Standards: The fabric has to be ISO 9001 approved.

Communication Protocols: The supplier will be providing regular updates about production and logistics schedules.

That concludes the six steps to help you find a supplier and manufacturer for your business. Remember to follow each of the listed steps carefully and take your time finalizing a supplier that best meets your requirement. With persistence and patience, this strategy will make your business thrive.