Whether you work in the material handling industry, the medical field, or in construction and you need more slings, rigging equipment, and lifting gear, ordering supplies is an important part of owning and operating a success business that stays successful. Regardless of what kind of industry you’re in or what the specific nature of your business is, you’ll have to order more supplies at one point or another. Even if you’re preparing for the zombie apocalypse, it pays to know how to effectively order supplies and gear without breaking the bank and while still meeting your needs. This delicate balance can save you tons in unnecessary costs and unused inventory.
Knowing how to manage and order supplies, equipment, and gear is especially important for small businesses, who often can’t afford to make costly ordering mistakes due to their tight budgets. It’s a lot like going to the grocery store; yes, you probably need a lot of food, but having a plan can save you lots of time and money in the long run while still filling your belly. Determining what you actually need versus what you want or what would be nice to have is an important part of learning how to effectively order and restock business equipment and supplies.
Check out these handy dandy tips for ordering business supplies.
Get your stuff together, no seriously this time
Keeping and managing proper inventory is the crux of learning how to effectively order equipment and gear for your business. If you don’t know what you have and how quickly you go through your current stock of materials, then how can you expect to have an accurate assessment of what you’ll need to order or reorder? There are plenty of software programs, tools, and resource that make managing properly managing inventory easier than ever. In fact, many inventory management programs are now cloud based, allowing you to access data remotely from just about anywhere while also being able to quickly and easily run reports. You can even “flag” certain hot ticket items or materials that need to be reordered often.
Remember that sometimes it pays to splurge and spend
You know how cheap toilet paper rolls are great because they’re so cheap? But when it comes down to quality, they’re not so great after all and actually end up costing you more in the long run because you go through the roll twice as fast because you have to use twice as much! Well the same principle can be applied to ordering materials for your business. When it’s materials for the office, kitchen, bathroom, or raw materials needed for production, it often pays to spend the extra money on quality materials and supplies. This is often a more cost effective option compared to buying cheaper, lower quality goods that will only need to be replaced anyway.
Shop local
When at all possible, it’s important to order materials from local vendors right in your area. Not only does this help to create a strong, thriving local economy, but you’re also more likely to get a better deal and better prices. You may even be able to negotiate better or more flexible repayment terms, and nothing beats good old fashioned local customer service. Many local vendors offer discount delivery rates or discounts on bills paid within a week of delivery.
Ordering less is often better than ordering more
Going to the grocery store to do your shopping when you’re hungry is one of the worst thing you can do because you always end up spending more than you wanted or needed to on unnecessary items. Similarly, ordering material for business when you’re stressed, tired, or otherwise not able to take an accurate assessment of what you actually need and what can wait can lead you to over order material and blow your budget. When in doubt, always order less. You can always quickly reorder an item or items that you ordered too little of. Returning an items can be a pain, not to mention impossible in some cases.