There are three major and indispensable elements in foreign trade: supply, market and clients.

As an international trade company, it’s necessary to establish good relationship with suppliers since our goal is to collaborate with them for support in marketing and product supply.

As more and more people attach greater importance to negotiating with clients, the role of suppliers should not be overlooked. In actual fact, establishing ties with suppliers is an act of creating professional friendships and various factors come into play.

1.Professional attitude

Dealing with suppliers requires respect and professionalism as these are the building blocks for any good relationships

In our industry, there are times when certain products are in high demand. Situations such as these often lead to tense situations where clients expect you to deliver. This challenge allows you to prove your efficiency and ability to deal with pressure.

In one such situation, our clients were desperate, resulting in a lot of pressure on the suppliers but, staying calm and doing everything necessary, our staff were able to meet the clients’ demands while maintaining a professional business manner with our suppliers. In fact, the supplier was so impressed that he stated how much he valued the attitude of our staff and asked whether they would be willing to give some tips to his lazy son in order for him to retire!

Starting out, your best tool while building a reputation, is your professional attitude. Stay humble, be eager to learn and communicate with clarity and purpose.  

2.Share the company vision

Communicate your future vision with your suppliers as well as how you work towards improving your services.

Inform them of ventures such as online publicity, amount of investment, consumer coverage. If you have services such as selective participation at exhibitions and frequent visits to international clients that they could benefit from, tell them about these to ensure they have full access to everything you offer. Informing them of various marketing campaigns and past successes, helps to assure them of your efficiency and commitment to promoting their products in a powerful and impactful way. When they know what your vision is, they can join your journey with confidence.

3.Maintain contact and communication

Clear and purposeful business communication inspires trust and opens up opportunities for feedback. Keeping suppliers up to date on the latest progress and their orders confirms that your are competent and they can trust you with their business.

4.Involve the factory

We often take our clients to the factory to give them a clear understanding of where their products come from. This started out as a simple gesture and has become such an intricate part of our client relationships that we now have staff dealing only with factory visits.

This practice gives your client a clear indication of what happens ‘behind the scenes’ and proves your insight and ability to deal with the various aspects of the business. 

5.Be smart about your business deals.

We should be modest and work together with the factory for the common goal of providing customers with the best quality service and should not treat the supplier as merely an order taker. Thus, besides strategic negotiations, emotional intelligence is crucial.

Anyone who wants to succeed in business needs to understand the important role emotional intelligence plays in business relationships.

6.Solve problems instead of shifting blame.

Problems occur in any business. Our first response is to give the blame to someone else but a much more constructive way of dealing with an issue is to look for a solution. If a simple solution can mitigate the problem, then harmony can be maintained.

7.Help each other out

Many hands make light work. Assist each other and offer help when something goes wrong. Your ability to deal with unforeseen issues can ensure a long and healthy working relationship. If you establish the competence of your company from the get go, orders will follow!