Green business entrepreneurs know that the relationships you have with your vendors can have a serious impact on the health of your bottom line. Developing a working relationship with vendors and buying wisely are essential. How can you make the most of your connections with suppliers to keep your green industry business thriving? Here are five ways to ensure you are buying wisely and developing healthy supplier relationships as well.
Be loyal
Developing a loyal relationship to a particular vendor doesn’t happen overnight. But cultivating this kind of relationship over time can offer big benefits to you and your green industry business. What’s more, once you have that strong relationship, you may find the supplier is willing to beat a price from another vendor to keep your business.
Be open to promotions
You may not want to take the time and effort to shop around for sales and promotions, but paying attention to those sort of deals can be a bonus for your bottom line. Waiting for a sale or promotion to buy certain products, or buying products that you know you will need in bulk, can present a cost savings to your business. The key is having the ability to store larger quantities of materials.
Be focused on quality
When it comes to any purchase, you want to be sure you are sticking with products that you know and trust. Saving money on an inferior product is a decision that will potentially come back to haunt you in the end. There is a middle ground between saving money and still investing in products that you know are high quality.
Be on top of new trends
Learning about the newest and latest advances may not immediately seem like a way to buy more wisely from vendors, but it can be. If any of the vendors or distributors you work with offer seminars, take them up on the opportunity. Not only will you become more knowledgeable about your field, which can aid in smart purchasing, but also you may discover a new contact that can assist you in the future.
Be building connections
When you work to build a solid relationship with a vendor it can turn into a two-way street—they know you are loyal (as mentioned above) and they reward that loyalty with their support. For instance, if you are expanding into irrigation or lighting in your green industry business, there’s a new level of technology you will need to understand and utilize to grow this area with your clients. A vendor that you have a solid relationship with will be there to help guide you if any issues arise.
Spring-Green has 40 years of experience developing vendor relationships. What’s more, as a franchise owner you benefit from the purchasing power Spring-Green provides. Learn more about how Spring-Green can take your green industry business to the next level. Call 1-800-777-8608 or visit us at www.growmygreenindustrybusiness.com.
