Some suppliers really do waste our time with bloated communications and out of date ordering practices. They don’t realise that each out of date practice gives retailers a reason to not order from them.
If suppliers do these things, they will get better attention:
- Stop sending bloated communications. Thoughtfully edit. Tell me what I need to know in order to make a decision. Back it with evidence.
- Have all ordering done either via digital forms or online – with a copy of each order sent by email back to the retailer for their records. Having to download, print and hand complete a PDF is ridiculous. It’s 2024.
- Have all contracts and agreements completed online via DocuSign or similar.
- Provide a digital product catalogue from which retailers can order in one-click.
- Provide electronic invoices.
- Produce easy access to professional product images.
- List your retail stockists on your website.
- If you use reps, ensure they make appointments first and stick to allotted time.
- Stop cold-calling.
Some of our oldest suppliers are the worst at these things. They waste too much time.
Good advice. I agree with it all but most especially point 2. It’s a waste of time printing and scanning order forms. Suppliers cost us hours every month with these dumb practices. They won’t listen. They don’t care. I stop dealing with the ones I can.
News and Fairfax and their new distributors are the worst by a country mile. Absolute time wasters and on one cares.
The publishers are bad but Are Direct is horrible. So out of date. They waste so much of our time. No one cares.