Share The Love

The 30 Second Summary:

• Don't ghost your suppliers. Only calling when you're desperate is a recipe for being ignored during shortages.

• Spread the spend. Using multiple suppliers builds more credit limits and gives you a backup plan.

• Track the "Last Order" date. Suppliers close dormant accounts. Small regular orders keep your trade pricing and credit alive.

• Avoid the 80/20 trap. Putting all your eggs in one basket leaves you with zero leverage when prices jump.

• Get to the front of the queue. Regular customers get looked after first when materials go on allocation.

Valentine's Day joke aside this is about control.

Treat supplier relationships like a site risk. Not a nice to have.

Stop getting ghosted when shortages hit

Only calling a supplier when you are desperate is a quick way to get pushed down the list.

When plasterboard goes on allocation or timber prices spike suppliers protect regulars first.

Order little and often so you stay top of mind.

Spread the spend so you keep leverage

One supplier feels easy. Until it is not.

If 80% of your spend goes through one supplier you have no backup plan. You also have no leverage when prices jump or stock disappears.

A healthier split often looks like:

• 30%

• 25%

• 20%

• 15%

• 10%

Options keep you in control.

Build more credit limits not just "good vibes"

Regular spend builds credit history.

That £5,000 credit limit can grow to £20,000, £50,000 or more when you trade consistently. Stop trading and it can shrink fast.

More suppliers can mean more total credit across your business.

Stop running price exercises that burn bridges

Sending quote requests to 10 suppliers then buying from 1 is common. It also trains the other 9 to ignore you.

If you only ever use suppliers for price discovery they will stop responding. Then when your main supplier is out of stock you are stuck.

Send quote requests only to the suppliers you actually want to work with.

We track quote requests vs orders so you can spot the mismatch early. Fix it before the supplier does.

Track the "Last Order" date or lose the account

Suppliers close dormant accounts due to non trade. Often at 6 to 12 months.

When that happens you lose:

• your credit limit

• your trade pricing

• your history

Small regular orders keep the account alive.

Get looked after first when materials go on allocation

Allocation is not random.

Suppliers look at order history, payment behaviour and whether you are a regular customer.

Share the love all year so you get looked after when time is not on your side.

Use real data so you do not get trapped by rebate tiers

Rebates typically run on an annual Jan Dec cycle.

Without tracking contractors often panic spend in October to chase the next tier. That is when suppliers have the leverage.

Then you hit the classic trap.

Rebate Prison: the supplier hints they will "pay the top tier anyway" but only if you sign up for another year.

The better strategy is simple:

• Hit the top rebate tier with Supplier A

• Then move new spend to Supplier B

• Repeat across your key suppliers to maximise total rebates

We give you real time rebate visibility so you can plan it calmly. No October panic. No signing up under pressure. You stay in control not the supplier.

Make it practical on live jobs

You do not need to split every order across five suppliers.

Keep it simple by category:

• Supplier A for timber

• Supplier B for plasterboard and insulation

• Supplier C for fixings and consumables

You reduce mistakes, keep backup options and keep admin low.

Bottom line

Share the love because it protects your programme.

Track last order dates. Spread spend. Build credit across multiple suppliers. Use rebate data to avoid getting boxed in.

Start your 30 day free trial and see where you are over reliant today.