The Complete Guide That Makes Sourcing Dental Supplies Simple
Are you starting out a new dental practice facility, and you’re trying to find the best way to source supplies? A while ago, it’d have been an easy task as large distributors dominated the supply industry. However, the dental industry has rapidly changed, with new players dominating the market.
Dentists are no longer dependent on brick-and-mortar businesses to source their supplies. For you to stay on top of your game, you need to understand the various options available. If you have vague knowledge on the matter, this is the article for you.
Read long to get a complete guide that makes sourcing dental supplies simple.
Consolidated Purchasing
To stay in business, you should source dental supplies at competitive rates to be profitable. This can only be achieved if you have a high bargaining power over the supplier. The best way to gain buyer power is to consolidate your purchases with fellow industry players.
Since the dental supplies market is very competitive, you need to source your goods at the best market rates. That’s where group purchasing organizations come in to help independent practitioners like you. It levels the playing field for small dentists to leverage the benefits big practitioners derive.
The GPO negotiates with a dental manufacturer to obtain supplies at discounted rates for its members. A prominent dental practitioner can easily negotiate bulk discounts. It becomes hard for small practitioners to enjoy such purchasing benefits due to economies of scale.
If you are an independent dental practitioner, there are numerous GPOs in the dental industry you can join. However, the cost of membership and services offered might vary depending on the GPO.
Be Aware of Gray Market Products
The hierarchy of the dental supply chain begins with the manufacturers, and it trickles down to consumers or distributors. Some of the largest dental manufacturers prefer to sell to consumers, while others prefer to use distributors. The distribution networks are all over the globe to cover as many markets as possible.
The manufacturers place different price points on different products depending on the country. For example, a product can be cheaper in Europe than in the United States. Though the products carry the same name, the chemical composition might differ.
Some people try to reroute these products going at a cheaper price to other countries. That way, they can sell the products below the market rate to gain a competitive advantage. These products are referred to as “gray markets.”
The products might not be bad, but the conditions they’re placed on during transportation might affect the quality. Always ask a distributor beforehand if they sell gray market products to be on the safer side.
Online Shopping
We often purchase most of our lifestyle consumer products online, ranging from food consumables to music. Don’t you think now is the right time to consider the convenience technology offers when sourcing supplies? The dental industry has been a slow adopter of using technology to facilitate purchasing of supplies.
Most dentists wait for sales reps from the dental suppliers to pitch their products. You wait until a considerable number of sales reps visit your office to gauge which one offers the best prices. Leverage price comparison websites to get brands that sell at affordable prices.
You can find a small online vendor who sells their products at affordable prices but don’t have the luxury of sending sales reps all over. How long do you have to wait till you get a sales rep from a brand that sells its products at affordable prices? While you could just use the internet to find such brands without spending too much time.
A huge chunk of businesses expenditure is purchasing supplies. For your business to be profitable, you need to source your supplies at a competitive rate. Primo Dental Products delivers high-quality dental supplies at reasonable prices.
Find an e-commerce site that sells all the products you might need to avoid buying chunks from different suppliers. The cost of doing business using tech enables online dental vendors to sell their products at discounted prices.
Large Distributor vs. Small Distributor
There are pros and cons when it comes to seeking supplies from either large or small distributors.
While large ones offer full customer services such as sales reps and equipment repair, the small ones don’t. However, large distributors don’t reveal their price catalogs to non-customers. The sales reps from large distributors have the freeway to adjust the prices depending on the customer.
Small distributors offer a similar range of products offered by large distributors. Unlike the latter, the pricing catalog is publicly available to all customers. Few small distributors are able to provide full-service such as equipment repair.
Using ERP Systems
Purchasing high-value goods require you to form partnerships with dental manufacturing entities. When you form such strategic alliances, you can be able to leverage procurement ERP systems. This helps you automate your procurement processes saving money as a result.
There are many activities involved in purchasing that can become a bit confusing. You’ll notice that all these activities will make sourcing dental supplies a sophisticated task.
Managing your supplier relationships is one of the biggest responsibilities you have. The ERP systems collect all the supplier information you need, such as products catalog.
That way, your work becomes more manageable when making order requests. Since the ERP system integrates with different supplier portals, you can make several price inquiries at a go.
Give Your Dental Clinic an Edge by Investing in the Best Dental Supplies
When all is said and done, you must do your due diligence to identify the best way to source dental supplies. Quality and pricing should be your top priority.
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