People who've been in the sourcing business long enough know leads are all around us.
Some people generate leads by visiting trade fairs and using online portals like Alibaba and globalsources.
Trade fairs are a great place to meet new suppliers and see what new products are out there. And at the same time, many people I've talked to feel they could improve their lead generation methods.
Trade fairs are a great place to meet new suppliers and see what new products are out there. And at the same time, many people I've talked to feel they could improve their lead generation methods.
- Top negotiators secret - A must have before any negotiation.
But before we talk about leads, let’s talk about the fashion manufacturing industry in China.
For the most part, there are at least 3 and often more links in the supply chain. Usually the fabric supplier, treatment suppliers and assembly suppliers are different companies. Almost always the factory (or trading company) that took your order buys its packing material from packing material suppliers, labels are provided by yet another supplier, so do zippers etc., etc.
For the most part, there are at least 3 and often more links in the supply chain. Usually the fabric supplier, treatment suppliers and assembly suppliers are different companies. Almost always the factory (or trading company) that took your order buys its packing material from packing material suppliers, labels are provided by yet another supplier, so do zippers etc., etc.
Besides the suppliers of materials, work and accessories, there are also service suppliers without whom the product would never end up in the other side of the world: Freight forwarders of all types, traders, quality control companies and individuals, companies supplying warehousing services and more.
All these suppliers of various products and services are interconnected. They interact with each other to one degree or another and in many cases on a long term basis.
Think about it, if you had the top 10 names of the contact list of a large zipper vendor. Those names could potentially be your best suppliers. Same goes for fabric suppliers, packing material suppliers, freight forwarders and all the people that are involved in one way or another in the manufacturing or the logistics around your product. So how do you get the names (or some) of their top 10 customers? Well, the answer is one step at a time.
Obviously, if you walked up to any company and asked to see their customer list, you’d encounter a lot of suspicion. If you walked up to a fabric wholesaler and explained that you like their fabric, but you think your existing suppliers won’t be able to use it right, and you are asking them to introduce garments/shoes/bags manufacturers that buy big quantities of their fabric … You might get some results. You might get slightly better results if this is not the first time you visit that fabric wholesaler.
Once a finished product supplier was introduced, ask them to introduce suppliers of other components of your products. Not only it is important to educate yourself about the price structure of your product, but you’ll be able to ask for referrals from an increasing amount of components and service suppliers. This is the best source for most updated information about manufacturers you want to add to your supplier list.
Did you like this article? Want to read more? Just enter your name and Email!
Did you like this article? Want to read more? Just enter your name and Email!
No comments:
Post a Comment