Top 5 tips for suppliers: How to bag big buyers

Are you meeting the increasing demands from large equipment customers, or does your company find itself losing more and more tenders?

If your company aims for the big equipment buyers, you've probably noticed a change in their expectations and demands. When constantly buying and using hundreds and thousands of different equipment products, there are many things for your customers to consider. So how do you position yourself to be their preferred supplier?

Here are five essential things to keep in mind:

1. Be visible
To get an invitation to tender, the customer must know that your company exists. This might seem obvious, but it's still something a lot of companies hesitate to spend time and money on. But when knowing that a multi-million-dollar contract might be on the other side, spending a few thousand on advertising or networking and participating in events is definitely worth it.

2. Focus your attention
You can't reach everyone. Choose one or two industries to focus your attention on and become an expert in those industries. Get to know your customers and specialize in their needs and challenges – become the obvious choice of supplier for that market segment.

3. Be more than your products
Let's face it: As an equipment supplier, you can't compete on price. It's your extra services and your ability to make your customers' life easier that will make them come back. Listen to their needs, ask them what could be better, and read requirements in tenders – even when you're not participating. Find out what you can provide that can separate you from your competitors, and make sure you go the extra mile to provide a smooth customer journey.

Many suppliers provide inspectors as an extra service. Here’s why a cloud-based system can give your inspectors an edge on your competitors.

4. Have a good documentation solution
Your customers know that missing documentation and time-consuming documentation handling can cost the company millions of dollars in man-hours, fines, or even compensation for injuries. Not only do they need the correct documentation for all their equipment. They have to make sure it's stored and readily available for the workers using it, and for inspectors and auditors – for as long as the equipment is in use. If you want to bag the big buyers, you need to make this process as easy and streamlined as possible: Provide the equipment documentation in a cloud-based, secure, and open software solution.

Read more about why a cloud-based solution is important here.

5. Help your customers plan
We know that big customers often go outside of the framework agreement when buying equipment. More often or not, that happens when the customer needs something faster than the supplier can deliver. A system that gives you an overview of your customers' purchases and the products' expected lifespan lets you help your customers plan what they might need. By staying ahead of the orders, you can make sure the customer doesn't need to step outside of your framework agreement.