|
Thumb of Michigan | Our "bid" strategy is much the same as Johns. I put out a list of inputs I need, container size, and the drop dead delivery date. We also had to start putting the oldest product we would accept on the list a few years ago. That was primarely because of 1 supplier picking up overstocked chems from out of state. There are at least 2 problems with that type of product. The first is that he shipped us some real junk. Atrazine trying to come out of the jug in 1 big blob. Dry AMS that had been beat up pretty badly and the bags stapled back together. The second problem is warranty. I like to think I have a pretty good relationship with many of the area reps for most of the products I use. You really have a tough time getting a rep, no matter how good he is, to warrant a product that may have came from 3 time zones away, and produced 3 years ago. We won't deal with that particular supplier anymore, regardless of the price.
We don't buy "packages" of products. I tell all the suppliers up front, and they all know it by now, that I'll pick 1 product out of 10 priced if its better than anyone elses. They really don't like that aspect, but its the way we price. Kinda like buying the body of a pick-up from one guy, the tires from another, the motor from yet another guy. I do shoot myself in the foot a lot of times by not capitalizing on some of the chem companies bundles. I find most of those bundled programs something that doesn't work for my specific problems anyway.
All the suppliers I do deal with know up front that they get one shot at the price. And they all know that there price won't be used as leverage to get a better deal down the road. I, like John, have a few variables I figure in thats hard to put a price on. When I retailed fert and chems, there was nothing I hated more than a guy who took everyones price around and tried to get the next supplier to beat the price. I only played that game once, and it burned me. I would'nt play it again. Just to clue you guys in that do that- if your suppliers are anything like here, you'll NEVER get as good of a bid as the guys who have a little integrety in there dealings. A supplier isn't ever going to give his best deal to someone he knows is going to lay it out to his competitors. Everyone we deal with knows we want to buy as good as we can, but I've been told by all of them that they really appreciate that the deal I'm quoted isn't public knowledge within 24 hrs. Not trying to be preachy, just lay out what I've learned over the years. | |
|
Open farm up to bids for inputs
