The health of the supply chain does not depend solely on the objectives you set at the beginning of the year. Each link must be taken care of because your production depends on each and every one of them. Much of the work is related not only to the attitude and behavior of the buyer but to a unified philosophy of the department as a whole in order to continue with good quality production and suppliers who are reliable, durable and extremely honest with us.
In 2023, B2B Business, Mexico's largest supplier management platform, provides you with 5 recommendations to improve the relationship we have with our suppliers.
Clear and open communication channels.
Unfortunately, the larger the organization you work with, the more difficult it is to communicate with decision makers and the recommendation is a function of this. Negotiation (which we talked about in previous articles) depends on the flexibility and ability of the seller and the buyer. This same communication channel must be constantly open. Allowing and asking for an honest, clear, efficient and functional conversation should be the priority of your purchasing team.
They are suppliers, not consumer stores.
If you have suppliers that you would like to keep, it is important that you do not treat your relationship with them as you would treat your relationship with the cashier at the supermarket. It is important and I would go so far as to say vital to inform your supplier what is going on with your company, what plans and projects you have, what products you are producing and how they are impacting the world. A big part of a successful business relationship is getting your suppliers to stay on board with your organization's vision and mission.
Clear risk assessment.
Avoiding risk is not the same as preparing our supply chain for potential risk. Maintaining a good relationship with your suppliers can be a matter of asking the right questions - how many times a year do you stop your plant, is there a peak season where you recommend I make an early purchase? It is also entirely appropriate to ask for job references. Whether they are small businesses or multinational companies, asking for as much information as possible will help us to foresee risks and perhaps for a few pesos more it will not be worth risking the whole chain.
Be a great customer.
You should take a minute to ask yourself: Am I being the customer I like to work with? Being a good customer means providing adequate feedback, showing loyalty and support in times of difficulty or high demand from the supplier, having a timely payment policy and above all showing appreciation for on-time deliveries, trouble-free invoicing or even for the quality of the products you deliver.
Shared technological innovation.
As a general rule, there is a higher brand weight of B2B companies that are focused on the development of technologies that allow a more agile operation of their supply chains, payment processes or even invoicing. Sharing this information with your suppliers is vital, as we can show our suppliers another way of doing things.
When contracting B2B Portal, we offer free training, user manuals and an adequate technological infrastructure so that your supplier can have access to part of the technology that you use for your processes.
