Better buying starts with a clearer brief.
THE SMALL BUSINESS SOURCING DESK
Practical notes for choosing suppliers, defining the work and preparing a smoother first delivery.
The sourcing desk →
A quotation discussion can produce several emails, each answering only part of the previous message. Without a simple question log, an unanswered detail may…
A delivery of similar cartons can be difficult to receive when the outside labels identify only the supplier. The receiver needs enough information to…
A supplier reports that the specified material is unavailable and offers an equivalent. That may be a workable proposal, but the word equivalent does not…
“Four weeks” sounds clear until the buyer and supplier start counting from different events. One counts from the first enquiry; the other counts from final…
A catalogue says the minimum order is one hundred units. You plan to buy four colours, twenty-five of each. Before treating that as a valid order, find out…
Use a small packing rehearsal to spot awkward dividers, missing handling information and unpacking problems before confirming a first supplier order.