Find Suppliers at Trade Shows

Ok, so I’m a little stuck on this idea of finding suppliers for your site. Simply put, this is a very important step in getting your e-commerce website set up and going! If you can’t supply something, you can’t really sell it now can you?! In fact, seeing what suppliers are out there is one of the final criteria in deciding what the topic of your new site will be.

Today we’re going to talk a little bit about how to find suppliers at events like trade shows. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that this be your first avenue, but it is one to take as your business matures and grows. The reason that it might not be the best first choice is because if you’re going to approach a company at a trade show about carrying their product on your site, you better have something to show them! Most of these companies won’t want to work with you if you walk up to them and say something like “I’m considering setting up a site about … can I add your product as well?” Wouldn’t it be much more effective to say something like “I am already doing well online and would like to partner with you to sell your product online”? I think so! So wait to do this until your site is established and running.

The first step in finding suppliers through trade shows is to find the trade show! There is a good chance that in some big city in either your state or a nearby state will have some type of a trade show that you could attend. Of course, this depends on the product or industry that you represent, but make sure to look outside your town. This is another place where The Shipper comes in handy. One of the services that The Shipper offers is they try to keep you up to date on trade shows across the country that you could attend.

So what do you do when you find a trade show and even some vendors at that trade show that you’re interested in? Here are some things to consider:

Have the Right Posture
Don’t act like you ‘need’ this supplier. Approach the situation as a win-win deal. You are going to sell the product for this supplier on your site, and they don’t have anything to lose! If you sell stuff, you both make money. If you don’t sell anything, neither of you make or lose money! Make it a win-win situation and don’t be needy when talking to these people.

Have Something to Show Them
If they have a laptop or computer connected to the internet there at the booth, see if you can take a minute and show the person your site. Visual examples like this can be much more convincing. If they don’t have a computer available, give them a business card with your website address on it.

Talk to the Right Person
If this is a larger company, the owner or main person for this type of relationship may not be present. Be nice and courteous to whoever you talk to, but also don’t waste a lot of time talking to someone that really can’t help you.

Follow Up
You probably won’t close the deal there on the spot (they also may not have tons of time to just talk to you depending on the size of the show as well). Be courteous and plan on getting back with them in a day or two after the show ends to go over the final details. But, if they really like the idea, do whatever you can there at the show. You might as well!

Finding potential suppliers at a trade show is another method that will take a little bit more time, but in the long run can be very well worth it. Like looking for manufacturer directories, you might want to consider starting with an easier route like Doba, The Shipper, or World Wide Brands and then work on this as time goes on.

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