The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 27: Oct/Nov 2016 | Page 6

BUSINESS ADVICE Do you have nightmare suppliers? Mandy Paterson, business development director at Inspire gives her top tips on managing your supplier network. Every business requires products and services, many relying on longterm relationships and recommendations. As your business needs change, perhaps the service you have come to rely on slips up or indeed the prices have shot up? What do you do? Is there a way of shortlisting, comparing trusted or recommended suppliers beyond asking someone you know? It's precarious as one person’s positive experience may simply not radiate to another and all too often personality fit and customer service level take the lead over the service or product itself. These days our digital world provides us with lists, ratings and matching but it is still time-consuming shortlisting suppliers via this route. As Wiltshire's biggest business network we have compiled the business leader’s top tips to fast track your processes effectively whilst opening up doors to a new business world you may not yet be aware of. 6 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2016 The Tips: 1. Detail what you need, what you would like and what budget you are working to. 2. Draft a simple spreadsheet with details as per 1 above. 3. Shortlist suppliers known to yourself, those recommended by others and those that look appealing from your internet searches. 3. Background check these suppliers, are they who they say they are? 4. Issue your requirement spreadsheet with a deadline to your shortlist of suppliers. 5. Decide who is going to manage the responses, deal with general calls and enquiries from those suppliers and make this clear on issuing the requirement spreadsheet, who, when and how to make contact. Be clear, as this will save time. 6. Decide on your shortlist from those responding and take the next steps which may involve a meeting or presentation to finalise your selection and order details. 7. Take the time from the outset to plan and manage the stages, and secure a supplier who can actively meet and ideally exceed your expectations. 8. Do let ALL the suppliers know the outcome, this is a professional approach that always pays dividends in the long run. So thinking about this, are there any innovative shortcuts in finding high calibre suppliers? Yes! You can join the Inspire network, unrivalled by other business membership organisations. To find out more, call the Inspire business team or see inspirebiz.co.uk to look at new ways to unleash your business potential. Whether you are established and maintaining your business, high growth turning over more than a million and would like access to superb services, or those of you embarking on setting up your own business, Inspire has it all covered. Alternatively, you may just need a hand with options for background checking or preparing the procurement spreadsheet. No shortlisting or searching here, simply get in touch with the team at Inspire, your gateway to quickly address these and all other questions.