When selecting a vendor, remotely or in person, I look for several things:

1) How likely is it that they will meet or exceed my expectations? Do they want to provide a product specifically for me, or are they only interested in providing their stock product? I may be able to speculate about these items, but customer recommendations are very helpful.

2) I judge the expertise of the vendor. This means I have to educate myself about the product or service so I can estimate the vendor's qualifications. Depending on how much I learn about the subject, I give my judgment more or less weight. You don't have to be good at something to recognize quality work. If I can't see examples of the product or service I'm interested in, I'll look at other facets of the vendor. A dirty and disorganized manufacturing facility, for instance, would not be a positive indicator.

3) I try to infer how problems might be handled by the demeanor of the vendor. Most people (most, but not all) aren't capable of Jekyll and Hyde behavior: Rotten people act rotten most of the time. I try to watch the vendor interact with other customers. How does the vendor react to a mis-statement I make? If they correct me with tact and an interest to educate, they'll probably be helpful during a problem.

Abax