When you get into the role of a business owner, you have a new title; you’re a dad, a partner, and you’re no longer an employee but a business owner. The whole premise of having a new role in your life can be exciting, as you plan to be a good boss and treat employees with respect. You have this great idea of what customers want and need, so you might want to prove that you’re a good business, too.
But in order to reel in that trust, it’s all going to start from the supplier or wholesaler you’re getting your products from. You can’t sell low-quality junk; people see it from a mile away. But if you’re entirely new at all of this, how exactly are you going to be able to identify poor-quality products and supplies? It’s not really a sense that you pick up the second you become a business owner, and there aren’t exactly any guides online to help you determine what is and what is not poor quality.
Basically, this is a skill that will eventually grow, but you can’t wait; this is something that you need ASAP! After all, the quality of the products affects the reputation of your business (and sometimes even you as a person). Well, here’s how you can determine what constitutes poor quality when evaluating potential suppliers!
Inferior Materials or Components
Some wholesalers, like Meteor Electrical, immediately have a reputation for only supplying the best quality to their business partners, so basically, what they provide just doesn’t need to be checked. But not all businesses have the luxury of immediately knowing what suppliers or wholesalers to gravitate to.
Basically, the more niche your brand is, the more challenging it’s going to be. But with that said, in the end, you still need to know what’s poor quality and what’s not. So go ahead and look at the supplier’s materials. How cheap are the materials? If they even appear to be prone to defects, breakage, or premature wear and tear, then just know right then and there that it’s not going to work out.
Faulty Workmanship
While it’s true it takes time to develop an eye for craftsmanship, sometimes you can see faulty craftsmanship from a mile away. Think about clothing: You don’t need to be a seamstress to know when bad stitching has happened to clothes. The same goes for the quality of clothes because clothes shouldn’t be thin or feel like plastic.
So think of it from that perspective: what seems off, what shouldn’t be there? Generally speaking, poorly assembled products are more likely to suffer from structural weaknesses, functionality issues, and aesthetic flaws. You usually just know it when you see it, and again, you don’t necessarily need to have a trained eye for it (maybe the nitty gritty at best).
Poor Packaging
Alright, so if you can’t figure out what bad materials or faulty workmanship are, then maybe poor packaging could help. As you may already know, the packaging and presentation of a product are often reflective of its overall quality.
So, if there are any signs of damage, inadequate protection, or lack of attention to detail, then this will tell you that this supplier is only providing you with poor quality. On top of that, poorly packaged products are more susceptible to damage during shipping, storage, and handling, leading to customer dissatisfaction and returns.