You're Probably Not Your Supplier's Favorite Customer

Hey there,

I bet you’ll be surprised…

You're probably not your supplier's favorite customer.

I know you're the one placing orders and writing checks. Doesn't that mean something?

In theory, yes. In practice, suppliers don't prioritize based on who pays. They prioritize based on who pays consistently, orders predictably, and doesn't create unnecessary issues.

I once worked with a brand doing $3M a year. They were frustrated:

• Deadlines missed

• Quality inconsistent

• Communication terrible

"We need a new supplier," their main rant during our call.

Before we started that search, I asked one question: "When did you last pay them?"

Turns out: 30 days late on the last two invoices. Their POs were unpredictable. They'd changed specs mid-production twice.

They didn't have a bad supplier. They were a problem account.

How Suppliers Actually Rank You

No supplier sends a scorecard, but the ranking is real:

1. Volume consistency — Predictable beats big

2. Payment reliability — Late payments get flagged

3. Operational ease — Clear specs and quick responses matter

4. Growth trajectory — Suppliers invest in growing brands

5. Relationship history — Trust is earned over time

If you want to see this from a supplier’s POV, test my digital brain.

This is exactly the kind of question I built my Delphi AI for.

You can ask it things like:

• “How would a supplier likely rank my brand based on this behavior?”

• “What signals make a supplier deprioritize an account?”

• “What’s the fastest way to rebuild trust with a factory?”

It’s trained on my real operator experience, not theory, and gives you answers you can actually act on.

What Supplier Favorites Get (That Others Don’t)

This is the part founders underestimate.

Being a preferred account doesn’t just feel nicer, it unlocks real advantages:

• Early warnings when something might go wrong

• Quiet MOQ flexibility when capacity is tight

• Better QC attention without asking

• Faster sampling turnaround

• Priority during peak season and raw material shortages

These aren’t written into contracts.
They’re earned.

5 Signs You're Not a Priority

Watch for these signals:

• Slow responses (3+ days)

• Rigid MOQs with zero flexibility

• Quality that varies batch to batch

• Timeline surprises after delays already happened

• No proactive communication about issues

These aren't random frustrations. They're signals.

A "bad supplier" and a "supplier who doesn't prioritize you" require completely different solutions. One needs replacing. One needs repositioning.

This week…

Pick one and do it:

Option A: Pull your payment records for your top supplier. How many invoices were late in the last 12 months?

Option B: Check your average response time from your supplier. Is it same-day, 24-48 hours, or 3+ days?

What you find might be uncomfortable. But you can't improve what you don't measure.

If you want to have a discussion with other DTC founders about their vendor experience, join our slack group - Supply Chain Lounge. 

Coming Next Week

Now that you know where you stand, next week we cover: What's Actually Negotiable (And How to Ask). Because the brands with the best supplier terms aren't the ones who demand the most, they're the ones who understand the game.

Until next time,
— Lara