Food closeout liquidators and discount retailers are two of the biggest players in managing distressed, obsolete or slow-moving inventory.
Why focus on relationships?
What’s so important about relationship building in the first place? At the end of the day it’s all transactional, right? Wrong. Let’s look at some of the biggest benefits of relationship building:
- Consistent responses: When you’ve established a relationship with a surplus food buyer, you’re likely to get much more consistent responses.
- Good faith: Business relationships mean trusting and giving the benefit of the doubt.
- Established processes: When you know how a buyer works, you get into a routine.
- Supplier of choice: When you develop a relationship with your buyers you become a supplier of choice.
Eight tips for relationship building
1. Give and take
As a supplier, you’ll sometimes have items that are a bit difficult to sell. That’s when you need a buyer’s help to step up and try to sell those items. By doing a favor for your buyers when they need it, you’ll build a stronger relationship that you can depend on later.
2. Be consistent
Consistency is a two way street. You can’t expect buyers to be consistent with their responses if you aren’t consistent with offers. The more regularly you follow a cadence, and the more reliable you are, the more likely buyers are to work with you repeatedly.
3. Price fairly
Price is everything. No one wants to feel like they’re being taken advantage of, so it’s crucial that you play fair. Price things reasonably — not so cheap that you’re giving goods away, but affordably enough that your buyers get value out of working with you.
4. Make it easier for buyers to build truckloads
Buyers get a lot more value out of a full truckload, because it means more product for the same freight costs. Platforms like Spoiler Alert allow buyers to easily see truckload information when responding to offer sheets.
5. Include detailed product information
Make sure you’re including brand, category and description, along with freight and storage conditions. Attaching product images or marketing collateral to your offer sheet can help buyers more easily understand exactly what they’re purchasing.
6. Invite feedback
Make sure you’re communicating with buyers effectively and collecting their feedback regularly. Not only will it help you improve your operations, but it will also make your buyers feel heard and respected.
7. Act quickly
When you receive offer sheets back, make sure you’re acting quickly to confirm receipt and move the process along. For food liquidators, especially with perishable inventory, time is money.
8. Communicate effectively
Communicate well with your buyers — quick responses, detailed information, and feedback collection. Make your buyers know that they’re a priority and you’ll be in much better shape.
Conclusion
Ultimately, a good buyer/supplier relationship comes down to respect. Make your buyers know how much you value and appreciate them by treating them with respect. They’re a crucial part of your business.
Topics: liquidation, discount retail
See these insights in practice: read how Save A Lot helps CPG brands win through liquidation partnerships, and download our 2025 CPG liquidation efficiency report for the latest benchmarks on channel and velocity trends.
