You’ve thought of the perfect product idea.
You’ve spent countless hours working on it, drawing feverishly at your desk, and working with designers to bring your vision to life.
Now it’s time to find someone who is going to be able to make it for you.
But you’ve got a problem. You’ve never tried to create a product before; you have no connections with manufacturers and no idea where to start.
Fortunately for you, here is the perfect place to start.
In this article, we will dive deep into Kian Golzari’s tips for finding the perfect Chinese supplier to bring your vision to life. After sourcing over 2,500 products from China, it’s safe to say that the man knows a thing or two that can help save you a ton of time, money, and heartache along the way.
Why China?
First off, why choose China? Surely somewhere closer to home would better suit your supply needs?
While a local supplier is geographically closer and can proudly stamp your brand with “Made in [insert region],” it limits your options compared to Chinese manufacturers.
China’s manufacturing diversity and selection are the largest in the world, which makes cost the main benefit of working with a Chinese manufacturer. Plus, thanks to modern technology, it’s easier than ever to find a quality manufacturer that you can trust, even if you don’t speak the same language.
Opting for a Chinese supplier will likely save you money, allowing you to price your produce more competitively or increase your profit margins. And more manufacturing options open you up to new product opportunities in the future.
Don’t Skip: How to Find a Manufacturer That Won’t Burn You
How to Find a Manufacturer in China
Now that we’ve firmly established the benefits of opting for a Chinese supplier, let’s look at Kian Golzari’s process for sourcing a top-quality and reliable supplier. This is the process that he has followed to source over 2,500 products from China, and one that he has refined over years of experience.
Step 1: Head to Alibaba.com
Firstly, Golzari recommends heading to Alibaba to find your Chinese supplier. Over the last decade, Alibaba has built a reputation as the place to source products from China, putting users in touch with manufacturers and making it easy to build a new relationship that benefits both parties.
Search for your product using filters
When you first start searching for products on the site, it is easy to quickly get lost in the vast array of options on offer. So much so, it can feel a little overwhelming and may feel like it’s hard to make such an important decision.
Fortunately, there are an array of different filters and things you can look out for that Golzari has identified for you.
Search by verified manufacturer
For starters, Golzari recommends searching for products via manufacturer, rather than searching by products. You can then select ‘Verified Manufacturers,’ which means you will only see results from manufacturers who have been independently approved and verified based on the information they have shared.
For example, if they say they’ve got 100 employees, then you can be confident that it is a true statement.
Select trade assurance
Golzari also recommends selecting “trade assurance” from the left-hand side, as this ensures you work with a manufacturer that is insured incase there are issues with your order. This covers you in the unfortunate event of discovering your order is not what it should be.
Check the location
As Golzari explains in The Product Blueprint training, each region of China is set up to specialize in particular products. Therefore, he recommends picking a manufacturer in a location that appears frequently in the search results for that product.
Pick a specialist
Next, you want to make sure that your potential manufacturer is well-known for creating your required product. That ensures that they have built their reputation with your product and adds further trust that the relationship will be a success.
Step 2: Speak to manufacturers you don’t want to work with
Once you have managed to apply your filters and identify a manufacturer, it’s time to make your shortlist.
When identifying the best options on the website, you might see verifications and stamps of approval for things you aren’t even sure what they are! Don’t worry; that’s perfectly normal for first-time buyers.
Golzari has a clever way to extract this information without coming across as a beginner in front of your potential supplier, as that could impact how they treat you during the negotiations phase.
Rather than directly asking one of your shortlisted manufacturers this question, find another manufacturer that you have no interest in working with that also has the same verification badge and ask them what it means.
They’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you might have, plus you don’t give the illusion of a beginner to your supplier.
Step 3: Follow Kian Golzari’s 10-5-3-1 formula
When Golzari is finding a new manufacturer for his product, he likes to follow his 10-5-3-1 formula to give himself the best chance of success:
- 10: Find 10 manufacturers that make your shortlist.
- 5: From that list of 10, find 5 of them that you are comfortable moving forward with.
- 3: Order samples from 3 of those 5 companies to compare quality, delivery speed, and other key factors.
- 1: Select your chosen manufacturer.
Keep Learning: What Is MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity)? Learn How It Impacts Your Business
Get Your Product-Sourcing Blueprint
To learn everything there is to know about how to source the perfect products from China, including much more detail on the topics discussed above, be sure to check out Kian Golzari’s free training and tap into his many years of experience sourcing products from Asia.
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