Interesting Supplier Calls

[drcollie]

I got a call from a supplier this week that told me "We're going to go out of business unless we get some orders in house promptly. Would you like to help us out and order some product? We're really hurting..."

My reply was, "I'm sorry to hear that, but haven't I been telling you for over a year that the 'look' you make is not in demand and you need to change your offerings to stay current with what customers want."

They said: "Well, we really aren't interesting in creating something new, just selling what we already make."

What can I say? "I can't help you - I have your product on the floor and its not exactly flying out the door, I'm not going to give you an order just to stack it in storage!" And then I softened a bit and said "I have a custom order request that came in today, a piece right up your alley. Want the job?"

"Ahhh...no thanks. We don't want one-off customs."

HA! So they are sitting there twiddling their thumbs looking for business and don't want a custom? Guess they are not THAT hungry! You do what you have to do to stay in business...simple as that.

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One of my other reps for a major line was also in the store today, commenting on how my business seems brisk. I told him "It is, I'm staying busy and sending you orders left and right, see them coming in?"

I asked how business is elsewhere in his surrounding territory. He said "Its awful, stores are all complaining that customers are price-shopping and they can't make margin." I chuckled and said "So they're still hanging onto those pre-internet 1990 pricing models, eh?" Change with the times or get left behind.....

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Yet another supplier stopped in today and wanted me to buy his inexpensive leather line, to supplement my Hancock and Moore, Leathercraft and Bradington Young. He was all about price points and I was asking about quality. He admitted his line was not high quality at all, but it was CHEAP and made in ITALY, and that's what customers want (Long as its not from China). I begged to differ..... and explained that I can't sell a product I don't believe in and would rather send a potential customer down the road to another store before selling them something I know isn't made well. This puzzled him and he said 'Why lose the sales? Not everyone can afford Hancock and Moore'. I then told him because I absolutely loathe getting a nasty phone call three years after a customer buys something and then getting raked over the coals for selling them junk. Its just not worth it - to make a couple hundred bucks? Not me....that's for another store. My buying rule is simple.... If I wouldn't put it in my own home then why would I expect my customers to? I think he left confused more than anything, which gave me a chuckle after he pulled out of the parking lot.

[simplyjeff]

Some suppliers out there definitely seem hungrier recently. This past week I had sales reps from 2 fabric suppliers visit my factory for the first time ever. These are both mills that I have purchased more than $250,000 of fabric from since opening 3 years ago. I have seen the reps at fabric shows, but they never bothered visiting the factory up until now.

I still have one more mill that I have purchased more than $350,000 from where the rep still has never visited my factory, although she promises to visit every 6 months when I see her at market. They are also my least reliable supplier and I have recently informed my staff not to reorder their fabrics when we get low. We are currently stocking about 25 fabrics from this supplier but they don't even bother to keep me updated when they drop a fabric or add a new one. I'll take bets on whether they are going to still be around 2 years from now.

Jeff Frank
Simplicity Sofas