I have been approached twice within the last month by national chains looking to establish a "partnership" between their business and ours. Of course by "partnership", they mean that they want my money :)
It seems their plan is to add us to their "Preferred Vendors List", but in order to be on that list they want a monthly fee (sounds like advertising to me).
Our warning to you is to be cautious of "Preferred Vendor Lists". I am not saying that they are worthless, but you need to ask some questions to find out how the list was compiled. It's important to be sure that companies do not have to pay to be on this "list". How can you be sure that the vendor is a quality vendor when all they have to do is pay to get on the list? Find out if the person providing you with the "Preferred Vendor List" has actually worked with the companies that they are referring.
As always, we welcome any comments that you might have below.
Happy planning!