Do you like my Business Idea?

[Andrew Harris]

Hi there,

I'm a Commercial Operations & Supplier engagement Professional with over 15 years experience in Procurement, Commercial Proposal assessment, negotiation planning and execution of Supplier engagements in large Companies.

I'm truly passionate about negotiation strategy development, execution, cost reduction and supplier management.

I'd like to start my own business - my mission is to to provide a low cost, efficient and useful service assist any company, big or small, that may require assistance or advice in reviewing commercial proposals, supplier offers, contracts etc.

Do you think there is a requirement in the small to medium sized business community for a service to provide the benefit of a second pair of experienced eyes to review any supplier proposals or contracts?

I do this because I love it - and I'm going to start my own business. I'd like to know if members of this forum like this idea? Would you find such a service useful?

kind regards

Andrew

[Freelancier]

I have no use for it, but I can envision what you're saying and how that fits into the way businesses work. You're going to get a lot of push-back from businesses who don't trust you because they don't know you and you have no reputation that they've heard about. So what's your plan to overcome that? How do you land your first 10 clients? How will you get paid in a way that is commensurate with the actual value you bring to your customers (as opposed to perceived value that's nothing more than smoke and mirrors during pre-sales)?

[Paul]

How will you get paid in a way that is commensurate with the actual value you bring to your customers (as opposed to perceived value that's nothing more than smoke and mirrors during pre-sales)?

I think that is the BIG question for the clients.

i also think it won't work as a catch all business but it can if you are a true expert in particular fields.

I've seen companies use "sourcing agents' or brokers for procurement BUT only for specific lines. personally i've engaged services for sourcing food products for restaurant chains. But the service was well established and specific to that industry. They had well established relationships with processors and suppliers and understood the restaurant business and what was needed. It saved us from alot of work. BUT we did not pay them a fee. They were compensated by a percentage of the purchases that were made from their suppliers that ultimately used. Becasuse they had a "volume" already established with suppliers they were able to get us better pricing even with their percentage factored in. I know this is different from what you are looking to do but just thought I'd pass it along.

[DennisChang]

I think you would need to be more specific in the services you offer. You will need your potential customers to trust you in your assessments, so you would need to be more specific in building up your Authority and Reputation.

[DeniseTaylor]

I agree with the above. I think the idea sounds good, but the issue will be establishing trust and/or your value. To get started, could you work some deals just for promo value? Perhaps get the clients to provide testimonials and figures in exchange for a reduced rate?