Candid Content from Supplier and Retailer – What You Need to Know

Special thanks to Ryan Zagata, President of Brooklyn Bicycle Co, and Christina Baanders-Decker, Owner of Midwest Cyclery in Kansas City, MO who contributed to this article.

We thought it would be a fun idea to have a supplier and retailer share 5 things that will make for better business relationships. We randomly reached out to an associate member supplier and a dealer member to share with us 5 tips to ensure that love abounds and translates to a stronger industry. Without our edits, take a read of the candid responses below.

What retailers can do to ensure that suppliers love them?

1. As a young brand, we LOVE it most when our partners give us constructive feedback on our products and our processes.
   • We have always valued and operated with honesty and transparency as our creed. Always in pursuit of excellence, the bulk of our products have not been designed in a closed box but rather based on feedback from our dealer partners. The same holds true with suggestions for new products. No, we won’t be designing that $3,000 carbon-framed commuter, but if it’s in our wheelhouse, we want to hear about it.
   • If you feel slighted or have a suggestion on how we can improve a product or process, please do not assume we know about it – SHARE. If we do not hear from you when you have issues, we can only assume things are going swimmingly and we know that’s not always the case.
2. We LOVE when you don’t sell product that has not been confirmed as allocated to you and shipped
   • The pandemic has created challenges across the entire supply chain. Let’s avoid making it worse by not selling product until your shipment has been confirmed.
3. We LOVE when you communicate with us when there are issues with any of our products – photos, etc.
   • We exert a lot of effort in our QC process but if there’s something we’re missing or an area we can improve, please do share. Our bikes go from factory to warehouse and many times we don’t get our hands on them after they’ve left the factory.
4. We LOVE when our customers pay their invoices in a timely manner and if there’s an issue, please communicate with us in advance of your invoice coming past due.
   • We’re human and recognize mistakes happen and sometimes situations outside of our control present themselves. Rather than avoiding them, face them head-on and bring them to our attention as soon as you’re aware that something may impact your ability to pay.
5. Be able to articulate the value of our brands and models and even better, know our brand story – what makes us different. Make sure your team can also. Your customers will appreciate it and so will we. Customers want to buy a story and often are willing to pay a premium for it. Give them one.
   • All too often the more expensive bike is perceived as being better but that isn’t always true and there’s so much more than components that make one bike “better” than another. Make sure your customers understand and can appreciate the value when they’re swiping their credit cards.

What can suppliers do to ensure that retailers love them?

1. We LOVE when you communicate.
   • I can’t tell you how many times I have had someone other than my rep say to me “why didn’t you do _________?” or “we offer this program via this portal…..” and I had no idea.
   • I asked for information from a National Sales Manager one afternoon and his reply was….. “it’s in your dealer handbook” and repeated that 2 other times. Well, how many manufacturers offer paper dealer handbooks? NOT MANY is the answer.
   • What I feel could have not made me feel as if I interrupted his “T time” would have been to answer my question and then follow it up with another email and said, “hey FYI…. on page 4 of the dealer handbook….blah blah blah”. Instead, now when I want to ask a question, I stop. I do not ask the question and make assumptions and provide answers to customers that may not be as informational as it could have been. In a sense, I was told not to bother him. We cannot sell many of their products if we can’t get replies to answers.
2. Better yet- we LOVE when you communicate in a concise manner.
   • I have experienced several email responses that literally tell us “yes, that bike is available” in bullet point one. And bullet point 2 contradicts said statement with “that bike is not available until June/July”. AND is then followed up with bullet point 3……we have one in the April order.     So, which is it? Yes or No?  If I were to give answers in this manner to customers, we would lose all credibility.
3. We LOVE when you fight for us.
   • If you see an order of bikes coming in and you know that we have asked for a particular bike (or not necessarily specific) and they have not been allocated, grab them, and ask us if we would want the bikes. There are literally brands of bikes that we can not get bikes from. However, they show up at a dealer who “did not pre-order or who just signed up as a new dealer” ……support the members that have been supporting you for 5-10 years.
4. We LOVE when you bring samples.
   • Yea…..that bike looks incredible. THEY ALL LOOK INCREDIBLE PHOTOSHOPPED!! The only way to sell more bikes is to get the bikes into the hands of those who sell them. If you’re bringing 2-4 bikes to share, schedule a time. This will allow the shop employees that sell the bikes time to take them for a spin, check them out, and get excited about the product. Telling me that “said bike is the latest and greatest” is like telling someone in their 50’s jelly shoes were the best shoes ever or that a mullet is the only hairstyle worth having! Lol, Share the experience!
5. We LOVE when you answer your emails.
   • I can’t express this enough. If a shop has sat down, written a 3 word or a novel-length email to you, REPLY!!! Timely. Reply to the email. If you have more to add step up your game and now call them. Follow up and we’ll all move up. Do more than what is expected, and you will receive more than expected.

As a wrap-up, the supplier/retailer relationship is critical. We all should work to nurture these relationships in the same manner that we focus on fostering customer loyalty. Having a great relationship with a supplier who has a vested interest in your business can prove to be beneficial in a number of ways:

• Cost Savings: When you are a good customer to your supplier, with consistent orders and on-time payments, this can lead to having volume discounts and special deals offered to your company.
• Timely Deliveries: For you to meet your obligations and provide excellent service to customers, you need to have the things you need on time. What’s great about having an excellent relationship with your vendor is they will prioritize you. They will deliver the goods ahead of time. In addition, they’ll make sure that you get the best goods.
• Support: When issues such as late or damaged shipments arise, the supplier will be prompt in their responses. More than likely, they’ll go beyond the bare necessities to fix your problem and compensate you for your trouble.

The benefits noted above do not just magically appear overnight; retailers need to cultivate the relationship. To have a balanced and mutually beneficial relationship, retailers can take steps to ensure they are an ideal client by:

• Promptly paying invoices. You can’t expect a cash payment discount if you’re late in payments. Contact vendors as early as possible if you’ll be delayed in payments.
• Allowing proper lead times for orders. Don’t place orders and expect them the next day. Take time to plan purchases and look at your past sales data to help.
• Sharing lessons learned or customer preferences on products to allow for continuous improvement opportunities.
• Being transparent. Any issues you may have must be escalated properly and promptly.

The supplier/retailer relationship is a key component to the success of our industry. When properly executed, suppliers take a vested interest in retailers, leading to greater integration of the supply chain and the development of methods that can improve quality and lower costs.

Special thanks to our members who contributed the content for this blog.

The NBDA has been here since 1946, representing and empowering specialty bicycle dealers in the United States through education, communications, research, advocacy, member discount programs, and promotional opportunities. As shops are facing never-before-seen circumstances, these resources offer a lifeline. Together, we will weather this. We at the NBDA will not waver in our commitment to serving our members even during this challenging time—but we need your support.

Now is the time to become a member as we join together to make one another stronger. Whether you’re a retailer or an industry partner, your membership in the NBDA is one of the best investments you’ll make this year. 

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