Unlocking Supplier Success: 6 Proven Ways to Find and Manage Inventory Sources

With Supplier Pro, you have a powerful tool to organize and communicate with suppliers. Now, you will want to add suppliers to your list so you can start sourcing inventory for your business. Google is an obvious choice, but it can be challenging to locate relevant suppliers unless you know the best search terms to narrow down those elusive suppliers.

Did you know there are thousands of suppliers in the United States? The majority are small operations with old-school ways of doing things. These old-school supplier websites are often terrible—if they have a website at all—and they aren’t active on social media. As a result, these suppliers can be difficult to find.

Let’s go over five effective methods to cultivate a large list of suppliers.

1. Google

Google is the obvious choice and probably the least productive overall, but it might be the best way to find a source for very specific products. To find suppliers with a search engine, you’ll need to be specific with your search terms.

Avoid generic search terms like “suppliers for my business” or “wholesale suppliers.” Instead, use a search term that includes a brand name, variations of the word “supplier,” and a region. For example, if you’re looking for tool suppliers, you might search for “Dewalt distributors in Florida.” Even if you’re not interested in Dewalt specifically, a distributor for Dewalt will likely carry other brands as well. Additionally, you may not be based in Florida, but many suppliers primarily deal with specific regions and will ship inventory anywhere unless restricted by the manufacturer.

Even these keywords can be very common, so you may need to go a few pages deep into the Google search results to find valuable leads. Don’t give up after reviewing only the first page of results.

If you already know the specific product you want to sell, you can be even more precise with your search. A good method is to search for the UPC number of the item combined with “supplier” or “distributor.” The results might include retail websites, but it’s possible to find wholesale distributors this way.

2. Manufacturer or Brand Websites

Many people overlook this option, but visiting the manufacturer’s or brand’s website can be very useful. Most brands list their regional distributors directly on their website, providing an easy list of suppliers to contact. As mentioned above, you may not be interested in the brand itself, but recognize that the supplier is likely to carry other brands within the same product category.

If there isn’t an obvious link for distributors or wholesale accounts on the brand or manufacturer website, you can try emailing them directly. Let them know you’re interested in retailing their products and would like an approved list of wholesale distributors. Most brands are happy to direct you to where you can buy their products.

For smaller or lesser-known brands, it might be worth asking if you could purchase inventory directly from them as the manufacturer. While you might need to buy larger quantities than you would from a distributor, smaller brands may offer more flexibility in their minimum order quantities.

3. Trade Show Websites

Trade shows are events where manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors showcase their products to wholesale buyers. The advantage for buyers is that you can meet many suppliers in one place, view products in person, meet the people you’ll be doing business with, and leverage special pricing available at the show.

Some trade shows are open to every category of supplier and distributor, while others may focus on a specific category or market segment. Most major cities regularly host trade shows. While attending these shows in person can be beneficial, it’s not necessary when you’re simply looking for suppliers to contact.

For example, ASD is a large and popular trade show in the United States, held at least twice a year. If you don’t want to attend in person, you can view the vendors attending the show directly on the ASD website. This gives you an easy way to see a list of hundreds of suppliers. As with any supplier search, many of them may not be relevant to your needs, so it will still take some diligence on your part to filter through the suppliers and start contacting them. Supplier Pro makes it easy to organize this work.

4. SpyFu

SpyFu is my favorite way to expand my supplier list. The tool itself is primarily meant for keyword research and offers some paid features. However, the free version has a very handy tool to find websites similar to one you enter. Once you have a handful of supplier websites, which may or may not be suitable for you, you can enter the website address into SpyFu, and it will return a list of other similar supplier sites. You’ll need to check each of these discovered websites to ensure they are actual suppliers or distributors and not just sites with similar keywords.

You can then take each of the supplier sites SpyFu returns, re-enter them into the tool to get another batch of potential suppliers, and repeat the process until the results are no longer useful. Then, you can start over with another supplier address you have.

This method is an excellent way to expand your list of potential suppliers, and it’s free!

5. Google Maps

Some people have great luck using Google Maps to search for suppliers and distributors, especially if you live in a larger city or a coastal shipping hub.

This method is similar to driving around warehouse districts and looking for businesses that appear to be suppliers, but instead, you’ll browse around industrial areas using the map. You’ll want to zoom in enough so the business names are displayed on the warehouses. When you find one that looks like it could be a distributor, click on the name in the map, and the business info will pop up.

While there’s some luck involved, this method is a great way to find suppliers off the beaten path who haven’t been contacted by thousands of your online competitors. I know people who have done very well with this search method.

6. Buy a Supplier List

This is the easiest way to get a list of suppliers to contact. While these lists aren’t free, they can save you countless hours of manual searching. You’ll still need to contact all of these suppliers to find the ones that suit your business, but you’ll save a lot of time. These lists vary in price, but you often get great value for your money. A quality list is regularly pruned to remove suppliers that have gone out of business or changed names. These lists also vary in the information they provide, but you should only pay for one that at least includes contact information, category details, and other relevant data.

Supplier Pro offers a one-time upgrade to load your account with over 2,000 suppliers. Since this list is populated directly into your account, you can start contacting suppliers immediately without having to manually enter each one into the software—a great advantage over purchasing other lists.

7. Build a Big List

Regardless of the method or combination of methods used, you’ll need a large list of suppliers to contact, based on your specific business needs.

The fact is, the vast majority of suppliers won’t be suitable for you for various reasons. Their minimum order quantities, minimum order amounts, or other restrictions may prevent you from doing business with them.

Keep in mind that many suppliers receive thousands of inquiries from online retailers like yourself, so it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. You’ll need to track all these suppliers so you know where you stand with each one. This will help you avoid wasting time contacting a supplier twice and identify which ones you may want to contact again as your business grows.

It’s common to contact a supplier more than once before getting a response. Some suppliers prefer to talk on the phone rather than sift through emails to find good customers. If a supplier does respond, it’s important to reply quickly so they know you’re serious. Many suppliers will ask questions about your business, so be prepared to respond accordingly.

You may screen out a supplier as unsuitable, the supplier may decide you’re not a fit for them, or they may never respond at all. This is why having a large list of suppliers is essential for sourcing quality inventory.

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