Longlist

Longlist is about the sales process between the prospect and suppliers. Prospects is another name for potential buyers. The prospect makes a longlist of potential suppliers to start the sales process. Usually these suppliers are invited on paper to present their proposition.

This list is created based on a broad survey. It first looks at the most obvious suppliers. Then the less obvious market combinations are also considered. This requires more time and creativity.

Suppliers are invited only after a shortlist is made after the first selection. This shortlist consists of the small number of suppliers that survived the first round. At the end of the longlist-shortlist process, a deal is struck with one supplier.

Online Longlist process 

What is remarkable about the whole process is that potential suppliers themselves participate. They take an active role to be able to promote their proposition. There is also another variant where the same process takes place without the suppliers taking an active role. There is so much information today on the Internet about potential suppliers. As a result, the prospect has everything needed to make the choice without this entire process. When looking for potential suppliers, the Web site is the first thing the prospect sees. This can make or break your opportunities. Even before you know you can have a chance, that chance is already gone.

This does not mean that the process no longer takes place. The process is only shortened because the prospect can shorten the longlist to the shortlist via the Internet. For example, ten suppliers can be chosen for a longlist via the Internet. Of those ten, three are then chosen to achieve the shortlist. Then these three potential suppliers are invited to present their proposition. In this modern version of the longlist, the other seven suppliers have no idea they were on the list.

Longlist to shortlist 

How many parties you put on the longlist is completely up to you. The earlier example named a longlist of 10 potential suppliers. 10 to 20 parties is also a good guideline for the maximum number of suppliers. As long as it is clear what you are looking for within your industry, this choice should be easy to make.

The shortlist should be made as short as possible. Indeed, arranging propositions from these parties can take a lot of time, if properly arranged. This proposition may be in the form of a quotation or presentation. This depends entirely on the company, the supplier, the sector and business environments. In this way, you can make a longlist online or offline to find the right supplier from the shortlist.