At Source For Me, we value our supplier relationships just as much as our client ones. They are the backbone of our business – as their products, service and reliability directly affect our service offerings and reputation.
There are a few categories that our suppliers fit into:
1. Core Industry Suppliers
These are all the big players in the print, promotional, display and uniform space – think AS Colour, Biz Collection, JBs Wear etc. Most of them only work with distributors (like us) with a few selling direct to the public as well (AS Colour). There are also many that you may not know the names of (as they are trade only), but you’ve 100% seen their products as they are the biggest promotional product manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand.
It’s essential that we have strong relationships with these manufacturers to be able to offer the full range of products available on the market. These suppliers are also well known for a reason. They are reliable, produce quality products and have excellent systems in place for us as distributors – making it a positive experience for you as the consumer. It also allows us to be able to offer all the same products you might be getting elsewhere, so you can still get the product you know – just with the Source For Me service.
While these suppliers may be required for us, it doesn’t stop us from working hard on our relationships with them which then comes back as industry insights, quicker turnarounds and better experiences for our clients.
2. Niche Industry Suppliers
There are an incredible range of suppliers in our industry, that have found a niche – and really perfected it. Whether it’s bar runners, keyrings, Australian Made products, stubby holders or eco-friendly products to name a few. By having relationships with such a wide range of suppliers (to date we currently source from over 60+ suppliers across Australia and New Zealand and counting), it allows us to truly offer a complete service for our clients. When something is out of stock with one supplier – we have another 3 lined up with similar products that we can use. Within this space we also work with a wonderful team of garment decorators – each with their own strengths, again allowing us to truly tailor the solution to the needs of our client. Whether you need the lowest cost, the best quality or the quickest turnaround.
We pick and develop relationships with these suppliers through recommendations, industry events (Australian Promotional Products Association (APPA) Roadshows) and industry knowledge.
3. Bespoke Sourcing Suppliers
This is where we really shine, as we have spent years working with various factories and sourcing companies to build our network out to be able to offer custom branded (almost) anything. Custom sized cheese boards with laser engraving and custom display bowls? Yes. Custom massagers in the shape of a bumblebee? Yes. Tee shirts in your brand colour with a custom shape/length/fit to match your workforce? Yes.
By having a variety of partners here – we can put the call out to many places and then collate the best options for you as the client, saving you all the run around and hassle of re-explaining your project over and over. The advantage of working with locally based sourcing companies – is that they know what they’re doing when it comes to importing products, factory relationships and language barriers. They bring your items in on containers with others – and the price you pay is a delivered price, no sneaky taxes, duties or freight costs that you weren’t expecting, holding up your delivery.
But what do we look for really?
There are a few key things that are fundamental to us when working and picking a new supplier, and those that don’t tick these boxes – we just don’t use. Sometimes there isn’t a choice – if they are the only one offering a particular product for our client, we will use them but we also have checks and balances in place to ensure what may have happened for us or you in the past, doesn’t happen again (poor quality products, delayed deliveries, poor service).
The core things we check for are:
- Communication – if it takes 5 days to get a response to every email and they don’t answer their phone, how can we trust that the order you have trusted us with is going to have the same kind of care?
- Reputation – it’s a small industry, and unfortunately there are some manufacturers who can become well known for poor service, poor quality and sometimes – going out of business and re-opening again under a new name. By staying tuned in to the industry – speaking with our trusted suppliers regularly and getting to industry events – we stay in the loop of who to trust.
- Reliability – they say something will be finished by a certain date, and it is finished by that date or earlier. If we are regularly receiving delays, silence or runarounds – they are moved off the Source For Me list. Delays happen, mistakes happen – but if it becomes a regular occurrence, we will keep this in mind when it comes to sending hard deadline jobs their way.
- Price – at the end of the day, for the majority of businesses – price is going to be a leading factor in ordering merchandise. While the core part of our business is about service, we also want to make sure that our clients are getting the best deal on these products at the same time. For certain products – the category is flooded with manufacturers (let’s use stubby holders as an example). There are dozens of suppliers producing them – and while they each have their own specialties (quality, turnaround time etc.) – we will always factor price into the equation for our clients – while also working to maintain the quality they deserve.
At the end of the day, there is no supplier too big or too small for Source For Me to work with. We do all the vetting for you – and we take on the responsibility for the supplier we choose. If it doesn’t work out – that’s on us!
It all comes down to what we can do together, so we can do for our clients.
