Strategy Partner With the Best

What's the supplier's work experience? Make certain the supplier has experience in your particular market niche. Is it a leader in its service segment? There's no substitute for experience — you're paying for what its people know. Don't train them.

How do you view the supplier? Can you work with a particular company, almost daily at times, and how will you feel about it as a large creditor (your printer, for example)? Is this a company you can count on five years from now? If the answers are "yes," perhaps you should develop a closer working relationship.