How to choose a vendor without taking every meeting.
The short answer
To choose a vendor, write down the problem and your dealbreakers before you look at anyone. Then build a longlist, screen it on paper, and meet only the vendors that clear the bar. Verify their claims, compare total cost, and decide against the criteria you set at the start.
There is no best vendor
Search for the best vendor in almost any category and you'll find confident rankings. Treat them with care. Many are written by a company on the list, AI tools often draw on those same pages, and none of them know your budget, your stack, or what you're actually trying to fix.
The vendor that's perfect for a 5,000-person company can be a costly mistake for a 50-person one. So the useful question isn't "who's the best?" It's "who's the best fit for this problem, at this company, right now?"
Rankings can help you find names. They can't make the decision for you.
Why choosing a vendor has gotten so hard
The hard part used to be finding your options. Now it's finding the time to look at them. Here's what changed, the mistakes it leads to, and what to do instead.
| Why it's hard | The mistake | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| There are too many options. Building a product or service keeps getting cheaper, and AI has sped that up. | Shopping before you've defined the problem. | Write down the problem and a few dealbreakers before you look at anyone. |
| Everyone sounds the same. AI can make any vendor's website or pitch look polished. | Choosing whoever gave the best demo. | Give each vendor a real scenario, then talk to a customer like you and ask what went wrong. |
| Inboxes stopped being a useful filter. Cold outreach is so cheap to send that good vendors get lost with the bad. | Buying from whoever reached you at the right moment. | Build your own list, starting with peers who've bought in this category. |
| Every meeting starts from zero. You repeat the same background on every call. | Taking meetings to learn the basics, or defaulting to a name you know. | Send everyone the same short brief and meet only the vendors that clear the bar. |
| More people have a say. Security, legal, finance, and daily users can all slow or stop a deal. | Bringing them in at the end. | Work out early who signs, who implements, and who can block it. Review total cost and exit terms before you have a favorite. |
Questions that separate vendors
Almost any vendor can tell you where you stand today. The harder question is what they'd do about it. These questions tend to show the difference.
| Ask | Weak answer | Strong answer |
|---|---|---|
| What would you do first, and why? | "We start with a discovery phase." | Names a likely first move based on what you've shared, and what would change it. |
| Who is a bad fit for you? | "We can work with anyone." | Describes specific customers they've turned away or lost, and why. |
| Show me a customer like us. | A famous logo in a different situation. | A similar company and problem, with the starting point and the result. |
| What goes wrong during implementation? | "It's seamless." | The common failure points, and what they'll need from your team. |
| Who will we work with after signing? | "Our team." | Named roles, how much of their time you get, and an offer to meet them. |
Red flags to watch for
They pitch before they understand your problem
If they explain why they're right for you before they can describe what you're solving, it's the same pitch everyone gets. Ask them to play your problem back in their own words.
They claim they can do things they can't
Be careful when the answer to every requirement is yes. Ask to see it working, ask which customer uses it today, and get what matters in the contract.
They can't say what they won't do
Every good vendor has limits. A vendor willing to say it isn't the right fit is one you can believe when it says it is.
Common questions
How many vendors should I evaluate?
It totally depends on your resources and how important the decision is. A tool that's cheap and easy to replace might only justify a look at two or three. A core system that several teams will rely on for years can justify a much wider search. Weigh what a wrong choice would cost, how long you'd be locked in, how much time your team can give this, how crowded the category is, and how soon you need it. Whatever the number, only meet the vendors that clear your dealbreakers.
Do I need an RFP to choose a vendor?
Only if procurement rules, regulation, or the size of the contract call for one. For most purchases, a one-page brief sent to every vendor gets you comparable answers with far less work on both sides.
What are the most important criteria for choosing a vendor?
The ones tied to your problem. Most buyers need to check budget, required integrations, security and compliance, timeline, relevant customer experience, and contract terms. Decide which are dealbreakers and which are preferences before you talk to anyone.
How long should choosing a vendor take?
It should match the size of the commitment. A low-cost tool that is easy to replace might take days. A core system that touches several teams can take months. Work backward from the date you need it live, and leave time for security review, legal review, and implementation.
Should I choose the cheapest vendor?
Compare total cost rather than list price. That includes implementation, internal time, usage charges, renewal increases, and what it would cost to leave. Once every option has cleared your dealbreakers, a lower total cost is a fair tiebreaker.
Don't let the right vendor slip away because you were drowning in the wrong ones.
Six Table runs the legwork for you, and we have a stake in saying so. Describe the problem once. We find the vendors, screen them against your priorities, and prepare both sides, so you only take the meetings worth taking. Everything above works just as well without us.