Let’s face it. We’re in for rough times ahead. But will you participate in the negative downturn in the economy, or try to figure out a way to prosper from it?

One niche market area that I see growing tremendously in the midst of trying economic times is wholesale sourcing. Right now, each and every retail-oriented business out there is looking for ways to cut costs and increase sales at the same time. Business owners know that they have to add a pile of value in order to coax would-be buyers into parting ways with the money that is stuffed deep into their pockets. One way to increase value and cut costs is to find new sources for their products.

That’s where wholesale sourcing comes into hand. Anyone who has started a business from scratch knows how time consuming it is to find true wholesalers out there in the real world. When you search for wholesalers on the internet, you find that 95% or more are really retailers with low prices, claiming to be wholesalers. Most of these companies sell directly to the public and don’t require a sales tax ID or reseller’s license. But the ones who truly sell wholesale don’t need to litter the internet with ads, because they don’t need to advertise to the general public.

True wholesalers tend to connect with buyers through trade shows, trade magazines, and referrals. That’s why you have to dig so deep to find them. They know that selling directly to the public would undercut their true target customers, the business owners. Rather than to bother with selling items in low quantities, they would rather sell in bulk and move as much as possible. That’s why they are in the wholesale game in the first place. They’d rather leave it up to the retailer to have to deal with cranky customers, returns, shoplifting, stocking, price adjusting, and so on.

It isn’t just the startup companies looking for new wholesalers. It can be well-established retailers who either want to find lower-cost alternatives, or who may want to expand their inventory offering to include other high profit items. If you can learn the game of digging up wholesale companies and connecting them with the retailers that seek them out, you have your hands on a possible thriving consulting business.

Wholesale sourcing consultants can typically charge anywhere from $75 to $150 per hour for their work. Or, they may charge per wholesaler that they estabilish an account for on behalf of the retailer. The retailer stands to save a ton of research time, plus they have the benefit of connecting with a wholesaler that comes recommended by someone who has had a relationship with them.

Retailers look for wholesalers that have aggressive pricing, quality products, flexibility on case ordering quantities, and most importantly, ones who stand by their products no matter what. Build a list of wholesalers in a niche area and establish a firm working relationship with them. When the trust factor is solid, you will have no problem marketing these companies to retailers that are looking for new suppliers!

Tweet This Post