One of the decisive aspects in any commercial sector is to get the suppliers right. The success of a company largely depends on it. In our case, with more reason, since in our sustainable shoe firm we give fundamental importance to materials that not only must meet a maximum guarantee, but must also convince customers since it is a pillar of our marketing strategy: If customers are not satisfied with the quality of the materials, it does not matter if our design is top or our promotion is effective.

A dissatisfied customer can complicate the reputation of a company, especially if it is small like ours. For this reason, we are very careful when selecting providers. After all, if a supplier’s material is not suitable, the customer will blame us, not the supplier: it is our responsibility to choose well.

We can give an example of the problem we had in the beginning with the shoelaces until we entrusted them to liasa. At first we were seduced by another supplier who assured unbeatable prices. This meant a lower cost in the preparation of the final product, which translated into a greater profit. But sometimes, you know, cheap is expensive. Luckily, we do a lot of testing before signing the final contract and it didn’t take long to check that the laces were not going to be up to the standard of the rest of the product. The duration of this material was shorter than the rest and it could give us problems with customers who, without a doubt, were going to complain in that regard.

We decided to stop beating around the bush and bet on Liasa, a prestigious firm in the sector that works with numerous successful companies. Their laces were at the same level as the rest of the materials we work with. Although it meant raising the final price of the product a bit, it was within budget and, above all, it was in line with our marketing strategy of presenting the best sustainable shoes.