How to Become a Preferred Supplier

Online, April 22, 2014 (Newswire.com) - The Purchasing Department is the first point of contact for suppliers and is responsible for identifying and contracting with companies that provide consistently high quality products and services.

It's important to be in tune with the prospect's buying cycles. We need to keep in appropriate touch until they are ready to move. Then our name will come first when they think of selecting a supplier.

Preferred supplier status comes in various shades - Qualified Supplier, Approved Supplier, Preferred Supplier or even Sole Supplier. We can work our way up this ladder.

We need to lay out how to move away from a mere product/service sale towards the more inclusive policy sale. We need a track record of good service and need to sell this policy at a higher level.

When prospecting, we need to keep in touch with all of the key players - not just the initial contact - until they are ready to buy. We create a Relationship Matrix. When a buyer has had any system, product or service for some time, they begin to itch. It's time for a change, and we need to make sure we have the best chance of winning the business.

• Differentiate between deal selling and account management and how this relates to gaining preferred supplier status.

• Understand when and why prospecting within the account is important to gaining preferred supplied status.

• Determine the commitments that you need to get from your prospect to achieve preferred supplier status.

• Determine the areas that an Account Manager needs to work on to develop an account.

• Review your own accounts to ensure that you are delivering customer value.

• Recognise the best ways of determining buying windows and positioning your offering on top of the prospect's shopping list.

• Understand the concept of contact to contract.

• Recognise the best ways of determining buying windows and positioning your offering on top of the prospect's shopping list.

• Define ways to manage long term relationships with future prospects.

• Recall the role of networks as a means of connecting with prospects in long term buying cycles.

• Define ways to manage long term relationships with future prospects.

• Differentiate between the factors that can open markets during "Itch Cycles".

• Understand the importance of keeping good customer relationship records.

For more Detailed Information, Please Visit: http://www.as-sa.co.uk/course/How+to+Gain+Preferred+Supplier+Status_105