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The Science of Contacting Suppliers and Manufacturers as a Business

20 min read

Your first email to a supplier or manufacturer lays the groundwork for strong relationships with your small business distributor. It is all about making a good first impression and showing you are serious about working with them. But how do you do that?

Delve into this article on contacting suppliers that align with your business model. Som en bonus, we’ll share a prompt you can use in your preferred AI text-generation tool to craft a professional email that will get a response.

Quick Answer to Contacting Small Business Distributors

du kan ændre din butiks widgets, der vises i sidebjælken på skærmen;du kan ændre din butiks widgets, der vises i sidebjælken på skærmen? Here’s a quick summary of the key points.

Suppliers are business owners too, seeking more sales, mindre risiko, og pålidelige udbetalinger, just like you. Risikoen appetit på leverandørerne afhænger af fire ting:

Størrelsen af ordren i dollar
Den tidligere forhold med køberen
Betalingsbetingelserne for ordren (upfront betaling lig lavere risiko)
Størrelsen, omdømme, og alvoren af køberen.

Til new businesses, få leverandører om bord er simpelthen et spørgsmål om at reducere deres eksponering for risiko. Den nemmeste måde at gøre dette på er ved at tilbyde at betale på forhånd. Suppliers are primarily concerned with timely payments rather than the scale or longevity of your business.

Udover upfront betalinger, du kan også vise din legitimitet ved:

Ved hjælp af en virksomhed e-mailadresse (”Yourname@website.com” i stedet for ”yourname@yahoo.com”)
At have en hjemmeside. Overveje øjeblikkelig site to have it up and running fast
Registering your business and obtaining the required tax identification numbers
Using a professional tone in your emails
At vide, hvad du vil. At være clueless er et klart tegn på en amatør virksomhed ejer.

Experienced business owners may wish to highlight their industry expertise and track record. If this resonates with you, consider sharing references to showcase your capabilities, for eksempel:

Displaying any awards or recognition received within your industry
Providing testimonials from satisfied partners (such as other manufacturers or suppliers)
Sharing statistics or data that demonstrate the effectiveness of your business.

Identifying Key Small Business Distributors

Let’s identify the different players within the realm of small business distributors.

Wholesale suppliers are companies that sell products in bulk to other businesses rather than individual consumers. Such small business distributors often offer discounted prices and require a minimum order quantity.

Producenter are the ones responsible for creating the products being sold by wholesale suppliers. They may also have their own online store or physical store selling directly to consumers. They can also act as small business distributors, selling their products to other businesses.

Dropshippers are similar to wholesalers, but they do not hold inventory. I stedet, they fulfill orders on behalf of retailers and ship directly to customers. They also can act as small business distributors, selling products to other businesses at discounted prices.

Now that you know who the main small business distributors are, let’s dive into how you can effectively work with them as a small business owner.

How to Approach Wholesale Suppliers

På engrosmarkedet model, you buy products from a large supplier at low rates and then sell them to customers at retail rates. Wholesalers might carry a single product type (såsom sokker) eller en række produkter fra forskellige mærker.

The wholesaler’s risk is almost non-existent since you are paying upfront for the product.

For some wholesalers, it doesn’t matter whether you have a great website or no website. Så længe sælgeren bliver betalt, they’ll happily work with you.

Faktisk, en række grossister selv betjene onlinebutikker. Du kan købe fra disse butikker, ligesom du ville købe fra Amazon.

The shopping process is the same as any ecommerce store. Du kan tilføje produktet til din indkøbskurv, enter your shipping details, and make the payment. Your business details may not even be requested.

Imidlertid, ikke hver grossist fungerer på samme måde. Nogle opererer en kunde-vendende hjemmeside, hvor du kan bestille begrænsede mængder (as low as one item) på detailpriserne. For at få engros priser, du nødt til at oprette en ”engros” konto. Dette kræver ofte at indsende dine skatteoplysninger.

For eksempel, Shadow Shifter, a US manufacturer, requires you to have to create a wholesale account to get wholesale prices. Du kan også købe mindre mængder, men du bliver nødt til at betale detailpriser for det.

Shadow Shifter, en t-shirt grossist, requires sales tax documents to access wholesale pricing

You need a sales tax document to create a wholesale account at Shadow Shifter. Imidlertid, such requirements will vary from supplier to supplier and country to country. Kontakt din lands lokale skattelove om, hvordan man får et momsnummer.

Some wholesalers don’t offer online ordering, and only a few provide their best rates and sales terms online. I sådanne tilfælde, du er nødt til at kommunikere med grossister direkte og slå en handel. Her er hvordan du gør det.

1. Make a List of Wholesale Suppliers

Step one is to find several target wholesalers. I USA, du kan bruge websteder som WholesaleCentral og TopTenWholesale to find wholesale suppliers.

You can also use Trade Show News Network’s search to find Messer and visit suppliers in person during the events.

2. Filter Reliable Suppliers

Before you start communicating with wholesalers, vurdere, om de passer til dine krav og standarder:

Check whether they have the products you want
Check to see if they’ve mentioned their minimum order quantities (MOQ) og priser. They’re usually negotiable, selvom
Tjek deres vurderinger på Better Business Bureau or similar platforms by searching for the company name (for os, Canada, or Mexico-based businesses)
Google deres firmanavn for at kontrollere for svig rapporterer, anmeldelser, and comments from existing customers.

Once you are fairly certain you’re dealing with a reputable company, fortsætte til næste trin.

3. Communicate Your Requirements to a Supplier

This is where most new entrepreneurs hesitate, især hvis de ikke har en hjemmeside eller butik.

The key is exuding confidence. It shines through the length, tone, og indholdet af din kommunikation. Ensure your messages are concise and precise, demonstrating your clarity of purpose.

Der er et par taktik, du kan bruge til at gøre dine e-mails mere overbevisende:

Bestil volumen: Grossisterne er et volumen forretning. The higher the volume you buy, jo mere forhandlingsposition du har. Ask for prices for a range of order quantities (sige, 100-10,000).
Må ikke email dig selv: De fleste større detailforretninger har køber agenter til at håndtere indkøb. I din e-mail, identificere dig selv som ”køb manager” eller ”køb agent” i stedet for ”grundlægger / CEO”.
Brug en virksomhed e-mailadresse: Even if you don’t have a website yet, you can still get a custom business email address at your own domain (like “FirstName@company.com”) ved hjælp af tjenester som Google Workspace.

Når du har de oplysninger, du har brug for, du kan forhandle om bedre vilkår såsom Net-30 betalinger (dvs., betaling for varer efter 30 dage efter modtagelsen) eller lavere priser for højere ordens mængder.

Grossister tider tilbyde drop shippingruter samt. I det næste afsnit, we’ll show you how to deal with them.

Prompt for Writing a Compelling Email to a Manufacturer

To make writing an email to a manufacturer easier, here is the prompt you can use in your preferred AI text generation tool:

Act as a small business owner. Compose a professional email to a supplier expressing interest in procuring some products they have to offer. The email should begin with a brief introduction of your business [firmanavn] as well as your position, followed by a request for information on the availability and pricing of a select product [elementer]. Be sure to ask about minimum order quantities, manufacturing lead times, and delivery schedules for the products mentioned, ensuring that the tone of the email remains professional and concise. Highlight your interest in establishing a lasting business relationship with the supplier and that you will be grateful for any useful information they can extend.

Here’s an example of what you can get with this prompt:

Use it as a template for your emails and customize it as needed.

How to Approach Dropshipping Suppliers

Dropshipping er, når du handler som detail arm af en producent eller grossist. I stedet for selv at købe og strømpe produkter, you only sell them to customers. Your dropshipping partner takes care of fulfilling the order, normalt under dit eget navn.

På skrift, the higher involvement of drop shippers means higher requirements from retailers. I virkeligheden, den intense konkurrence mellem drop afskibere betyder, at drop afskibere nødt til at kæmpe hårdt for at vinde over forhandlere.

Denne intense konkurrence har ført til opsplitning af markedet i to kategorier. Dette bringer os til den første spids.

1. Understand Who You’re Dealing with

Indstillingerne omfatter Drop Shipping nyhedslæsere og engros drop afskibere.

Dropshipping aggregators are websites that give you access to hundreds of dropshipping suppliers from a single platform. eksempler indbefatter Syncee, Lomme, Sup Dropshipping, tid, SaleHoo, etc.

Disse nyhedslæsere normalt opkræve en upfront gebyr for at få adgang til leverandører. De tilbyder også plugins og API'er til nemt at importere produkter i din butik.

Her er et par ting, du skal vide om håndtering af Drop Shipping nyhedslæsere:

Nem sign-up: Aggregators are easy to sign up with and require only an email. Du behøver ikke at have en butik, internet side, or even a business email to get started.
Højere priser: Da du ikke kan forhandle med de enkelte leverandører, du bliver nødt til at betale den faste pris, der tilbydes af aggregator. This usually means higher prices and, dermed, lavere avancer.
Månedligt gebyr: De fleste nyhedslæsere opkræve et månedligt gebyr. This can eat into your margins if you’re just starting.

Dropshipping nyhedslæsere er en nem måde at begynde at sælge. Imidlertid, they should only be used as a stop-gap approach. Once you have a proper store and a sales history, det er bedre at nærme individuelle drop afskibere og få bedre tilbud.

Wholesale drop shippers are wholesalers offering drop shipping services to a select few retailers. The vast majority of drop shippers fall in this category. They usually cover a single product type, such as knives or sports gear.

For at arbejde med disse drop afskibere, du bliver nødt til at oprette en gros konto og give dine virksomhedsoplysninger. You only access the catalog after the drop shipper approves your account.

De fleste små-time drop afskibere gør dette for at afskrække en-gang lejlighedskøb jægere. Nogle drop afskibere som MagnumTuning even mention this on their website:

MagnumTuning kræver godkendelse for hver applikation at modvirke rabat indkøbsposer

Many drop shippers will happily waive off approval requirements if you place a large initial order or send them deposit money. At have en sælgers tilladelse eller omsætningsafgift nummer er også nyttigt.

Mens tilmeldingen er hårdere, du får meget bedre satser end Drop Shipping nyhedslæsere.

In some industries, such as print-on-demand, drop afskibere har lettere krav. For eksempel, Printful gives free access to any retailer regardless of volume (og integreres med Ecwid.)

Produkttyper du kan slippe skib med Ecwid og Printful

Hvis du bruger Ecwid, du kan bruge WholesaleB2B app til at lave integration med drop afskibere lettere. Eller, check out other dropshipping tjenester that can be integrated with your Ecwid store.

2. Ask the Right Questions

Her er et par spørgsmål, du kan føje til den e-mail-skabelon vist ovenfor, hvis du kontakter en potentiel drop afskiber:

Hvad er dine forsendelsesomkostninger og politikker?
Hvilken slags betalingsmetoder accepterer I?
Tilbyder du en API eller automatiseret metode til at placere nye ordrer?
Hvad mærke navn vil ordren blive afsendt i henhold til?
vil din (drop afsenderens) navn fremgå af emballagen?
How long does processing and shipping an order to {din primære marked} take?
Kan jeg bruge dine produkt billeder og beskrivelser på min hjemmeside?
Hvilken slags skatteoplysninger og tilladelser gør du kræver fra forhandlere?
Hvad er jeres politik for beskadigede og returnerede produkter?

In addition to wholesalers and drop shippers, sourcing products directly from manufacturers is also a viable option.

Hvordan man griber Manufacturers

Producenter er virksomheder, der kan:

Hjælpe dig lave dine egne produkter, eller
Sælg dig deres fremstillede produkter til engrospris.

Manufacturers differ from wholesalers and drop shippers because they have high order requirements and significantly lower prices. Eftersom hver ordre er foretaget fra bunden, de fleste producenter kræver en upfront betaling til dækning af omkostningerne produktion.

Den upfront betaling betyder, at de fleste producenter er meget fleksible i hvem de arbejder med. The nature of manufacturing also attracts many entrepreneurs trying out new ideas who might not have websites or sales.

Som resultat, most manufacturers are easy to work with if you meet their minimum order requirements.

Der er et par ting, du bør huske på, når du nærmer dem.

1. Ask about MOQ and Deposit

Produktionsomkostninger gå ned som volumen øges. MOQ, minimum order quantity, is one of the most essential metrics when dealing with manufacturers.

Spørg om producentens MOQ i den første e-mail, du sender dem. Don’t waste time dealing with a manufacturer with a higher MOQ than your requirements.

When browsing Alibaba, one of the most popular B2B ecommerce platforms for global trade, you’ll notice manufacturers typically display their minimum order quantity directly on their profile.

Most manufacturers on Alibaba will show their MOQ on the product page

Some manufacturers might be wary of dealing with new businesses only interested in the minimum possible order volume. To avoid this problem, ask for prices for various order volumes (sige, MOQ til 50,000 enheder).

Derudover, ask about the initial deposit the manufacturer needs to initiate production, including details on the refund procedure in case of disputes.

2. Ask about Manufacturing Capacity, Forsendelse, and Packaging

Manufacturing capacity means the maximum amount of products a manufacturer can produce in a given time period. This is an important factor to consider when choosing a supplier, as it will affect lead times and production timelines.

Inquire about the shipping options available from the manufacturer. Afhængigt af dine behov, you may want to choose between air or sea freight, or even expedited shipping for urgent orders.

Packaging is another crucial aspect to discuss with potential suppliers. Make sure to ask about their standard packaging options and if they offer custom packaging at an additional cost. It’s also important to clarify who is responsible for packaging and labeling the products before shipment.

Include the following questions in your email:

Det antal stykker, de kan fremstille på en dag
Når de produkter, vil blive sendt fra / sendes til
Forventet leveringstid og bærere anvendt
What kind of packaging do they use
enhver tilpasning (på emballagen eller produkt) tilbydes
Extra value-added services (såsom Amazon FBA salg) tilbydes.

3. Ask for Samples

A reputable business always requests product samples before selecting a manufacturer. I din e-mail, make sure to ask for a product sample. This will not only help you evaluate the manufacturer but also show that you are serious about the business.

4. Ask for Details about the Company and the Factory

When considering a manufacturer, gather as much information about the company and its factory. This will give you a better understanding of their capabilities, quality control processes, and overall reputation.

Some questions to include in your email are:

How long has the company been in business?
What is the size of their factory and production capacity?
Do they have any certifications or audits?
Can they provide references from previous clients?
What steps do they take for quality control during production?

It’s also worth mentioning that conducting a virtual factory tour can give you even more insight into the manufacturing process and its facilities. This may not always be possible, but it can be a valuable step if feasible.

Another crucial factor to consider is communication. Ask how often they will update your product’s production status and how quickly they respond to inquiries or concerns.

For at opsummere

Thorough research and clear communication are vital to selecting a small business distributor. As you continue your search, keep the questions above in mind, and don’t hesitate to ask potential partners for clarification or further information.

Whether you are looking for a wholesale supplier, a dropship supplier, or a manufacturer, trust is paramount in any business relationship. Show that you are a legitimate and professional business owner, and you’ll be able to build trust with your partners and increase the chances of successful collaborations. This opens the door to lasting partnerships and exciting growth opportunities for your business.

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Om forfatteren

Jesse er Marketing Manager hos Ecwid og har været i e-handel og internet markedsføring siden 2006. Han har erfaring med PPC, SEO, konvertering optimering og elsker at arbejde med iværksættere at gøre deres drømme til virkelighed.