Five Ways To Find Trustworthy Local Vendors As A Business Owner
No entrepreneur is an island — every day, business owners rely on the help of suppliers, accountants, attorneys, marketers and other service providers to keep their operations running smoothly.
Members share how they find reliable vendors.
1. Look For Well-Known Past Clients
I would advise any business owner looking for a local vendor they can trust to simply do their research. Begin by conducting a Google search for firms that have done work for major businesses in the past. An example would be noticing if a law firm has worked with brands such as Facebook or Snapchat in the past. Once you confirm that, you then get enough credibility to move forward with them. – Toyosi Azeez, Swiftdine
2. Check Online Review Sites Like Yelp
3. Ask For Referrals
Every company is going to present a sales pitch either in person or their website about why they are the best. Therefore, my advice is to always go off of referrals. Once you collect referrals from the people you know and trust, then really do your own due diligence and make some phone calls to find out what it’s really like to work with them. – Skyler Ditchfield, GeoLinks
I’ve attended conference events and made good use of digital resources. I’ve met people who became trusted partners who do work I don’t do, such as build and manage websites and connect to the podcasting community. I’ve used LinkedIn to find my bookkeeper and I’ve used Reddit to find my first full-time employee. Facebook groups are also good resources. – Robert Brill, Brill Media Company
Trust with a vendor is built through communication and time — this is how you see if a vendor is reliable, has good communication skills, is a good problem-solver and is consistent. Though reputation goes a long way, time is really key here. The joy of local vendors is that they are people and can become part of your extended family and stay the course with you through thick and thin. – Jennifer Piette, Out of the Box Collective
