Today i wanted to talk about ordering in special and none stocked items from your merchants and suppliers.
On a previous post i said that this was a minefield if not done correctly so here's a few tips on what to do when ordering in a non stocked/special item:-
a) When you are ready to order your special item always ask about the returns policy, you maybe 100% confident when you order that you wont be returning it but if the job ceases to exist or your customer has a cash flow problem your stuck with the item.
b) Inform your customer about the importance of getting their order correct, it's a simple comment, sometimes the general public think that all items are easily sourced and that returns are done without batting an eyelid, after asking the returns policy from your merchant make sure your customer knows that if it's not to their liking it may cost them if they want something else.
c) Always order in samples, this obviously doesn't relate to a garage door or anything along those lines but if it's a brick or something that is style or colour orientated then ask your merchant to order in a sample that you can show the customer, your covering your own back, it may put the lead time back on the order by 2-3 days but if it's going to make the customer 100% sure on there choice it's worth taking the hit on time.
d) Be careful who you make the purchase from, this relates to which of your merchants gets the best price, put the enquiry around and see who comes back with the best price.
e) ***IMPORTANT*** When it comes to bricks and you need a very large amount, choose your merchant very carefully!!! This goes to who you put the enquiry towards not ordering.
Example:- You have a site where you need a large amount of bricks, you have the idea that your going to put your enquiry round to every single merchant in town, you know there is two merchants on the way to your main merchant, the two merchants that are on the way don't know you that well and you use them on the odd occasion to spread your credit or to pick up the odd item if your in the area, so you proceed to drop the enquiry to both merchants and then you go to your main merchant.
All three merchants come back to you with a price, now you would think that your main merchant that you spend thousands of pounds with would wipe the floor with the other two, well they end up 2nd in the price war with the first merchant you went into beating them by about 5%, you ring your main merchant asking can't you do better? this order is worth a lot of money, they reply no it's the very best they can do. so why is this?
Brick companies offer a register the site option, the first merchant you put the enquiry forward to rang up the brick company and said "can i register this site, they are going to need X amount of bricks" once the site is registered by a merchant they alone get the best price, there offered a better discount than anyone other merchant who rings up there after, worse still it's first come, first serve! your main merchant would have offered you a much better price if you had only gone to them first.
You can try every trick in the book to get this reversed, even as far as ringing up the brick companies sales Representative and asking if your main merchant can have the discount but believe me you wont get what you want, they stand firm and they are loyal to the first company that comes forward.
To summarise this post, be careful when ordering in any special goods, cover yourself on all angles because if you don't your last resort maybe trying to flog it at a loss on eBay.
As always my friends who gave me a helping hand to start this blog a get there links posted, if like tradesmen connect you wish for a referral please contact me.
www.tradesmenconnect.com
www.facebook.com/TradesmenConnect
No comments:
Post a Comment