Guide to Checking References

Checking potential suppliers’ references should be part of any major business purchase decision.
Seeing samples or portfolios is great, but speaking to current and former clients can give you a
more complete picture of the vendor. Most references will be happy to speak with you. If they’re
truly happy with the vendor, they’ll eagerly send along more business. If they’re unsatisfied, you
may get an earful of complaints.

The first few references a company provides are likely to be hand-picked, i.e., very satisfied
customers who may even have been prepped in advance to answer your questions. Take those
references, but don’t be satisfied with those alone. You should request references to clients in
businesses similar to yours, both in industry and size.

This accomplishes two things. First, interviewing companies who share your similar concerns and
needs can provide you with more detailed information than speaking to people in unrelated
industries. Second, asking for more specific references can help you avoid those hand-picked
references and introduce you to more discriminating customers – and customers with a specific
complaint or two can provide you with more valuable information.

The process of checking references is fairly straightforward. The supplier you’re evaluating
should provide a contact name and phone number for the customer. You can handle the interview
process in a couple of ways. For fairly standardized products, a phone interview is probably
sufficient. For more customized or expansive products, you may want to set up a site visit to see
the work for yourself – you’ll be able to get a better sense of how well the product is integrated
into their business.

Whether by phone or in person, try to speak with more than one person. The contact name you
get will often be a manager in charge of making the purchasing decision, and their input on the
purchasing process and general impressions of the vendor is certainly relevant. But the people
you really want to speak with – the ones with the detailed understanding of the strengths and
weaknesses of the product in question – are those who use it every day. Ask to speak with
someone whose job brings them in contact with the vendor’s solution and you may start to get
much more detailed answers.

Here are some questions you may want to ask when contacting references. Note: All questions
may not apply to every situation, so try to adapt them to your particular needs and concerns.

 How long have you been a customer of this company? How many items have you
purchased?
 Did you accomplish your overall goals when working with this company?
 What kind of impact has their product had on your business?
 Do you think you bought the right product at a good price?
 What was the best/worst part about working with this company?
 How do their sales reps treat you?
 What are the company’s biggest strengths and weaknesses?
 Are you happy with the overall quality of the product or service?
 Was the product delivered and installed on time?
 Was the initial installation sufficient for your needs? Or did you have to add components or
upgrade?
 What do you wish you had done differently?
 Have you needed any support or repairs? How quickly did the vendor respond? Did they
resolve the problem?
 If you’ve made this type of purchase before, how did this compare to your previous
experiences?
 Do you know of any one else who uses this system? (This can get you additional references
to speak to, some of whom might be more candid.)
 If you had to say one negative thing about the product or dealer, what would it be?
 Would you buy from this vendor again?

Don’t let one unhappy customer derail your entire purchasing process: anyone who’s been
around for a while will have a few customers sour on their business. For your evaluation, it’s
valuable to hear both the problem and its resolution from the point of view of the customer and
the supplier.