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Choosing carefully is essential to guarantee quality and great experiences.
Organizing an event or starting a new business is not an easy job. It is necessary to consider each process, requirement, and desire of your target audience. In this process of planning every step, one of the most important topics is choosing the best suppliers for what your event or business needs.
Although some managers may see the suppliers’ selection as a trivial activity, an informed choice is fundamental to guarantee the safety of people, just as their satisfaction and best experience.
Are you planning a new event and need to select suppliers of different segments? Read the article below and learn what you must consider. Research and recommendations, for example, are essential.
Identify the needs
The first step to select suppliers for your event or company is to identify and organize the needs. Will you need food and drink suppliers? Lighting? Decoration? Sound? The companies usually offer only one kind of service, so it is necessary to list all the needs and evaluate which business segments you will need.
Then, you will have to detail what services and products the event requires. How many lamps? Protection grids will be necessary? How many security guards do you want to hire? These answers are important so you can explain exactly what you need from the suppliers and, consequently, confirm if they are appropriate.
Ask for recommendations
Once you know what is necessary, it is time to look for suppliers. One of the most interesting ways to search for them is by asking for recommendations from other entrepreneurs or event organizers working in the same area as you.
Asking experienced professionals will help you gain more knowledge about the main processes, prices, and other important details. If the subject is suppliers, it means that this is an efficient way to avoid frustration with irresponsible partners.
Participate in events of your area of expertise
Doing some network may not be your favorite activity, but it is important to find the best partners, employees, and, of course, suppliers. Some of the supply companies usually show their services and products in this type of event, and having their references will be really useful when you need to select suppliers.
Talk to the people responsible for presenting the companies, save cards, phone numbers, website addresses, and profiles on social media. By doing this, when you need a supplier, you’ll know how to find that company.
Do some research on the internet
Google and other search engines may be our best friends in many moments. When selecting the best suppliers it is not different. Use the internet to do some research and discover which companies offer services and products near you.
Looking for information on the internet is not only easy and practical but also cheap and secure. In a few minutes, you can find a high number of suppliers and their main information, such as phone number, address, business hours, and even prices.
Look for reviews
Now you have a list of suppliers, acquired from the recommendations, events, and web research, it is now necessary to look for reviews from the companies’ work. Some websites bring together consumer reviews and customer service that can help you gauge whether that supplier is going to meet your expectations.
Another way to look for reviews is by analyzing the supplier’s reputation on social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. If the customers are not satisfied with the company’s work, they may leave negative comments on posts, showing which problems they have had.
On the other hand, if the supplier’s products or services are good and have satisfied the customers, you will probably find some complimentary comments and recommendations on its social media profiles.
Compare prices and quality
Now you have a list of possible suppliers and know if they have done some good job with other customers. It is time to contact the companies, ask for their budget and compare the prices and the quality of the work they offer.
Include the social media reviews in the analysis and do not hesitate to ask questions. Remember that the suppliers’ selection is a fundamental factor to guarantee the success of your event or business.
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