Supplier Journey · Complete How-To Guide

Three things you should know before you commit any time:

• It's a curated ecosystem, not a directory. Every supplier is vetted. Buyers see fewer suppliers than they would on a directory · but the ones they do see have been screened for fit. Your job is to look credible inside that screen.
• Demand is buyer-led. Buyers post a brief; we match suppliers; suppliers respond. You're not chasing cold leads · you're answering people who have already put their hand up.
• Tiers matter. The four engines (Pipeline · £5k / Revenue · £10k / Visibility · £25k / Authority · £50k+) determine what you're entitled to. Start at the tier that matches your ambition, not your starting point · upgrading is friction- free, downgrading after committing to a launch is not.

Every supplier journey starts on the wait list. There's no instant onboarding · we'd rather you know that upfront.

1. Open /supplier-wait-list (linked from the footer and the main nav under "Become a Supplier").
2. Fill the wait-list form. The fields are deliberate · we use the answers to triage the queue. Be specific about ICP, deal size, and the kinds of buyers you want to talk to. Vague answers go to the back.
3. You'll receive a confirmation email immediately. The actual triage happens within 5 business days · either an invitation to a vetting call or a "not right for now" note (which always includes the reason).

Tip · the wait-list form is the first chance to demonstrate you can articulate your offer. Don't paste a generic pitch.

The vetting call is a 30-minute conversation. Two outcomes:

• Invited to apply · you receive an account invitation with a sign-up link to /auth/signup. Use the email address you were vetted on so the system links the conversation history to your new account.
• Deferred · we tell you what would need to be true to revisit (typically: a specific revenue threshold, a specific case-study count, or a specific ICP refinement).

Once invited, your first hour on the platform is structural setup. Do this in one sitting · context-switching breaks the flow.

1. Sign up at /auth/signup using the email you were vetted on. Choose "Supplier" as your role (or "Hybrid" if you also buy services through the ecosystem · most don't, start with Supplier).
2. Verify your email · check the inbox of the address you signed up with and click the link. Until you verify, the supplier features stay locked.
3. Complete your organisation at /account. Name, country, city, timezone, website, LinkedIn, phone, logo. The bar on the dashboard tells you the completion percentage · don't go live until it's at 100%.
4. Sanity-check the data · once you've saved it the data is what buyers see. Spelling errors in your company name will be the first thing they notice.

Your profile is the entire pitch · what buyers see when the matching algorithm surfaces you. Each field has a job. Don't skip any of them.

1. Headline + tagline · 8-12 words that answer "what kind of supplier are you?". Not your tagline from the website · the answer to a buyer scanning 5 supplier cards in 30 seconds.
2. Categories · pick primary first, then up to 3 secondary. If you're tempted to pick 5, halve it · over-categorisation makes matching less accurate, not more.
3. Problem tags · the specific buyer pains you solve. These drive matching more than category does. Write 6-10. Each one should be a phrase a buyer would type into a search.
4. Ideal client type · stage, industry, size. Be honest · saying "anyone" means the matching engine surfaces you to wrong-fit buyers and your response rate tanks.
5. Deal size range · min and max. Buyers below your min don't see you · buyers above your max do (we assume you'd take a bigger project). Set min realistically · the false positives below it cost you time.
6. Services offered · 4-8 specific service lines. Each one becomes a filter chip on buyer search. Be granular · "consulting" doesn't filter anything.
7. Case studies · upload at least 2 before going live, ideally 4-5. Each one needs: client, problem, your intervention, measurable outcome. Anonymised is fine. Buyers read these · this is where decisions get made.
8. Speaker bio + bio photo · even if you don't plan to speak at events yet. Profiles with a speaker bio get 40% more buyer clicks because they feel like real humans, not faceless suppliers.

Once your profile is complete, the operations team does a final review (typically same business day). When approved:

• Your profile becomes visible to buyers and to the internal matching engine.
• Your name enters the weekly matching cycle · the ops team reviews fresh demand signals every Monday and flags matches.
• You'll start seeing eligible buyer requests in your RFQ inbox within 1-3 weeks (depends on demand cycle for your categories).

When the matching engine shortlists you for a buyer's brief, the request lands in your RFQ inbox at /account/rfqs. This is the single most important screen on the platform for you · check it daily.

For each RFQ:

1. Read the full brief, not the headline. Buyers reveal the real ask three paragraphs in. The headline is usually a sanitised version.
2. Check the budget signal. If the buyer's budget bracket is below your minimum deal size, decline politely · don't waste their time or yours. The matching engine will improve next round.
3. Respond within 24 hours. Buyers shortlist on the first three responses · not the best three responses. Speed is a real signal.
4. Lead with the case study, not the pitch. Open with "we did exactly this for [similar client]" not "we're a leading provider of...". Specificity beats superlatives.
5. Propose a discovery call. Don't quote in the first response. Quoting cold means either you under-price (and resent it) or over-price (and lose). Get a 20-minute call instead.

Every buyer conversation becomes a row in your supplier pipeline · access it via the leads area inside your account. Each row has a stage (New / Qualified / Proposing / Negotiating / Won / Lost). Update the stage as the conversation moves so the ops team can:

• Match you to overlapping buyers without double-booking (we won't surface a fresh request from a buyer you're already in proposal with).
• Surface signals to you · e.g. a buyer who's gone quiet for 14 days gets flagged so you nudge them.
• Compute your win rate, average cycle time, and average deal size · these feed the year-end review of whether your tier is the right one.

Tip · update stages weekly, not after the fact. Reps who treat the pipeline as a live tool win more deals than reps who use it as a memory aid.

When you win a buyer, the rep on our side will issue a digital Supplier Registration Agreement. You'll get an email with a public signing link · no account login required. The flow:

1. Click the link · the full contract renders in your browser. Scroll the whole thing · the page tracks views (the rep can tell whether you actually read it).
2. Sign · type your name and title, then sign with your finger or mouse on the signature canvas. Status flips to Signed by supplier.
3. Wait for counter-signature · the platform operator counter-signs from our side within 1 business day. Status flips to Fully executed and both parties get a PDF copy.
4. Lifetime access · the contract page stays live at the same URL. Bookmark it. You won't need to chase a copy.

The four engines map to four phases of supplier maturity:

• Pipeline Engine · £5,000/yr · entry tier · buyer-led demand flow + ecosystem membership. Most suppliers start here.
• Revenue Engine · £10,000/yr · adds sales motion documentation, pricing workshops, cohort margin reviews.
• Visibility Engine · £25,000/yr · adds multi-event presence, stand booking, speaker slots, sponsored campaigns.
• Authority Engine · £50,000/yr+ · adds category-defining content, awards positioning, partner introductions at scale.

Compare all four side-by-side at /engines/compare. Most suppliers upgrade once they've closed 3-5 buyers through the platform · the ROI signal is clear by then.

The Visibility and Authority engines include exhibition presence. The relevant features:

• Visit an Exhibition · register to attend any event for the cohort discovery value alone (no stand commitment).
• Book a stand · for Visibility-tier and above suppliers. The stand-number field on your supplier profile maps to your assigned location.
• Speak at an event · Authority tier · 30-minute slot, vetted topic, full buyer audience. Apply via your rep at least 6 weeks before the event.

Even as a supplier, you should run the GrowthLens diagnostic on your own business · the same diagnostic your buyers complete on theirs. It's at /growthlens/diagnostic.

Why:

• You see the same report your buyers will eventually see · understanding it as a user makes you a better seller into it.
• The trajectory feature (Stage 3) gives you a longitudinal view of your own growth · re-score every 30 days.
• The £27 Pro Report unlocks a peer benchmark, a 90-day roadmap, and an AI strategic assistant trained on your scores. Worth the £27 for a supplier even more than for a buyer · it tells you which of your own gaps are likely to affect your tier upgrade decision.

The ecosystem rewards consistent presence:

• Update your supplier profile quarterly · new case studies, refined ICP, sharper problem tags.
• Respond to RFQs within 24 hours every time. The matching engine prioritises consistent responders.
• Attend at least one exhibition per year · suppliers who attend zero get progressively less buyer attention because the ecosystem can't differentiate them from inactive accounts.
• Re-run GrowthLens monthly. The trajectory becomes part of your supplier signal · we can tell which suppliers are themselves growing.

• Lost access? /auth/forgot-password resets your password. If your email itself is wrong, contact your rep · we can re-link your account.
• RFQ inbox is empty for 4+ weeks? That's a signal worth investigating · usually means your ICP or problem-tags are too narrow, or your profile is missing case studies. Book a 15-minute profile review with your rep.
• Tier upgrade question? Visit /engines/compare first, then book a tier conversation via /contact.
• Contract not arriving? Your rep is the right person · contracts are generated against a specific proposal, not the supplier profile.