Example scenario · Marketplace
Plenty of demand. Suppliers onboarded by hand.
A venture backed marketplace connecting companies with venues and caterers for corporate events had strong demand. Growth was capped by how fast the team could recruit, vet and onboard new suppliers.
An example scenario based on situations we see often. Details are representative, not a specific client.
Photo by Matt Benson on Unsplash
The situation
Where they started.
Demand wasn't the problem. Companies booked events every week, and the marketplace needed more venues and caterers in more cities to keep up.
Supplier recruitment ran on LinkedIn messages, cold emails and a spreadsheet. Onboarding meant chasing contracts, insurance documents and photos by email, one supplier at a time. The partnerships team spent more time on admin than on relationships.
The problem
What it was costing them.
6 tools, each doing one job, with nothing making sure they agreed. These are the places things slipped.
Hundreds of prospective suppliers tracked by hand.
Contracts, insurance and photos chased one supplier at a time.
New suppliers waited weeks before they could take bookings.
Existing suppliers rarely heard about demand or new cities.
What we did
Strategy first. Then the build.
Mapped supplier recruitment and onboarding with the partnerships team
Defined the stages from prospect to live supplier
Designed outreach and follow up for venues and caterers
Planned a monthly supplier newsletter and quarterly reviews
Every prospective venue and caterer tracked by city and stage, with owners and tasks.
Email sequences and task reminders that keep outreach moving.
Agreements signed online, and insurance, menus and photos collected through upload forms.
A monthly update on demand, new cities and tips, segmented by supplier type.
Live suppliers, onboarding progress and gaps, city by city.
The system
What the team sees every morning.
One pipeline, updated by the system as things happen. New enquiries arrive, follow ups go out and deals move on without anyone copying data between tools.
Swipe to see the whole pipeline.
Illustrative screen with invented companies and figures.
How it came together
From review to a system that runs.
We looked at every tool, every journey and where things were getting lost.
A working session with the leadership team to agree the plan and the priorities.
We built the supplier system and imported every prospect, contract and document from the spreadsheet.
Short sessions for each team, then a phased switch over so nobody lost a day.
Monthly check ins to refine journeys, reports and campaigns as the company grows.
What changes
Before, and after.
FAQ
Questions about this kind of build.
Yes. Suppliers and customers can have separate pipelines, forms and communications in the same system, so the team sees both sides of the marketplace.
Sound familiar? Let's fix it properly.
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