How to create a vendor list to sell

As a business owner it’s important to carefully select vendors that are capable of providing the product and/or service you need to secure the success of your business. There is value in taking the proper steps to ensure that you get the best quality your budget can buy.

Create a map of your business processes and operations and how they currently are or should be supported by a product. This will help you to discover what areas need extensions or additions.

Identify the areas of business that require a product or service that your in-house resources can’t provide. This will present a clear picture of what type of vendors you need to secure for the success of your business.

Build the right team. Include staff personnel from all business units that the new product will affect. Assign your strongest team members from all relevant departments. This will ensure that you are able to produce a clear picture of how you need the product and to function in your business to successfully meet your organizational needs. Also, consider the needs and requests from your customers. Knowing what they need and their suggestions for improvement can help you focus your company needs.

Design a scorecard. Create a list of requirements by which to evaluate potential vendors. It is best to separate the requirements by categories like business, technology, the financial health of the vendor, usability and pricing. Also, consider certain things such as; the customer service the vendor provides during the selection process, how long they have been providing the product and their current customer base.

Isolate a portion of make-or-break requirements. Prioritize the importance of each requirement you have listed on a scale of 1-5.

1 = Most Important 2 = Very Important 3 = Somewhat Important 4 = Important 5 = Least Important

Requirements rated 1 and 2 should represent your make-or-break requirements. These are things that you absolutely must have in a vendor and without them you would not select them to provide your needed product.

Keep the field wide. Consider both vendors you know and vendors you may not know. Review buyers’ guides, attend trade shows and read journal articles. Also, contact your business colleagues and industry associations. You might even consider enlisting the help of a consultant. Create a list of vendors to consider. This list should include their name, address, telephone number and a business contact.

Interview each potential vendor. Use your scorecard to design questions for the vendor. Challenge them to not just provide yes or no answers, but rather fully expounded answers. You can also structure the questions so that they have to rate their own product as they think it will fit your needs.

Perform reference checks. Always perform the reference check, even if you believe the results will be positive. This will help you determine your vendor finalists for all your business needs.

Schedule product/services demonstrations. Only schedule demonstrations after you have narrowed down your list to a few finalists. Your time is valuable and should not be spent watching demos of products that you never intended to purchase. This will help you determine which of the finalists will become your company’s new vendors.

Make your vendor selections. Contact your chosen vendors and confirm that they have accepted you as a client. Then contact the vendors that were not chosen, letting them know that you do not need their product at this time but you will keep their information on file for future company needs.

Maintain your vendor list. Your chosen vendors become your current vendor list. Your non-chosen finalists become your alternative vendor list in the event that you loose a current vendor. Your non-finalists become your potential vendor list in the event that you require other products that they may be better suited to provide based upon your requirements relative to the new product or service needs.

Tips

  • To obtain the most honest responses from the vendors, don't reveal your make-or-break requirements during your vendor interviews.

    If you receive a vendor suggestion without a contact name it is best to call and inquire about the product or service of interest so that the vendor can assign a sales/business contact for you to speak with at a later date.

As your business continues to grow and your customer list expands, you will need suppliers to bring goods to your business. Deciding the vendors who are good is not something you can do overnight. Supplier evaluation is, of course, a process that could take weeks or months, and, thus, requires patience and time. The results of the vendor evaluation are recorded in a supplier’s list template. Once you have your vendor list, you will be able to pay for goods and get your deliveries only from those suppliers who you have in your Vendor template. You may also see Inventory List Template.

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Blank vendor List Template

How to create a vendor list to sell

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Once you do your supplier evaluation, you’ll need a template for recording your results. This Vendor list template will help you keep an up-to-date record of the best vendors for your business. You may also see Price List Template.

Because supplier analysis is a continuous process within a business’s purchase department, you need to keep an up-to-date suppliers list. This Vendor list template is suitable for the task.

Wedding Vendor Contact List Template

How to create a vendor list to sell

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Keeping an up-to-date vendors list is a good business practice. You can use a Vendor list template to maintain the record, and then use the template as a reference list whenever you want to make a purchase.

Master Vendor List Template

How to create a vendor list to sell

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Your business needs only specific suppliers, not every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Therefore, do a vendor evaluation process, and then use this template to create a suitable list for your preferred suppliers.

Vendor Price List Template

How to create a vendor list to sell

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This template has a user-friendly layout, it is print ready and is easy to use. It is the best template for keeping an up-to-date record of all the best suppliers in the market. You can download the provider’s list template for free.

Licensing Vendor List

How to create a vendor list to sell

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Preferred Vendor List Template

How to create a vendor list to sell

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Qualified Vendor List Template

How to create a vendor list to sell

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What are the Benefits of Having a Vendor List?

There are so many reasons why your company should have a vendors list. First, you can negotiate the terms and conditions of the purchases with specific suppliers in the market, and then work only with these vendors whenever you want to make the purchases. Secondly, because you work only with those vendors that you have on the list. You may also see Punch List Template.

You can ask for and get great discounts for higher volumes of orders. Moreover, keeping a sellers list can guarantee you the best payment terms, depending on the agreement between your business and the suppliers. In fact, your vendor can agree that you pay for goods after thirty or sixty days.

What are the Typical Drawbacks of a Well-Defined Vendor list Template?

Besides being an accurate reference list that guides your business through the purchase process, a supplier’s list template has many drawbacks. First, a supplier list almost always limits the suppliers only to a local area. That means that there is more room to create issues for recruiting. Moreover, because a business feels more secured because of a well-structured vendor list, relationship management often becomes the low priority. A vendor list template also results in the lack of more choice, for your choice of a supplier is already defined. You may also see Snag List Template.

> What is Vendor Evaluation Process?

A vendor evaluation forms is an important part of the purchase process. With so many vendors on the market today, it is necessary to make the supplier evaluation a continuous process. It is important to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all standard for doing your standard vendor evaluation. Some businesspersons can do it in five steps, although some people have their way of analyzing their vendors, and then use the results to determine which vendor to choose. You may also see Email List Template.

Vendor list templates are free to download and use, so you don’t have to create the template from scratch at all. You can use the template as is, but feel free to customize the template if you want.