<div>Thanks my friends everyone, but sometimes, it is very diffcult to evaluate the cusotmers' status especially new customers.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Anyway, we will have to try, I am really depressed by this problem.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Thank you every one my friends again.<br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">2008/10/25 SIP <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:sip@arcdiv.com">sip@arcdiv.com</a>></span><br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">A lot of people ask for free samples just to get free products. That's<br>an unfortunate, but common occurrence. However, some people ask for free<br>
samples because they're in the market to buy, but with you overseas,<br>there's no where locally for them to look at the product or try it out<br>before they purchase. It could end up being wasted money for THEM.<br>
<br>The compromise is difficult. First, you have to be good at judging your<br>customers' intentions. Is the person asking for a sample likely to<br>actually buy? What's the time table of a purchase if they're going to<br>
make one? Do they have a budget already for whatever project they're<br>working on? Etc, etc. These are basic, and essential sales questions<br>that you should be asking any prospective customers. This will help you<br>
a lot to determine whether or not a customer is serious.<br><br>Next, I don't think offering a free sample on a permanent basis is a<br>good thing. Cisco will routinely loan us hardware (sometimes long term)<br>when we need to evaluate a product in a testing environment. But at the<br>
end of the day, it's just a loan. We either have to return it to them as<br>per a pre-specified agreement, or we'll be billed for it. With you being<br>overseas, collections might be difficult, but if you're careful, you can<br>
minimise the potential losses.<br><br>However, there WILL be losses. As a hardware seller, you need to be<br>aware of that. You just have to do what you can to make them manageable.<br>Don't start off offering a loan of equipment until you get to know the<br>
customer's needs better, so you can decide if they're worth the risk and<br>you can offer the RIGHT equipment.<br><br>You're going to have to get to know the customer a bit and actually<br>listen to what they have to say, though. You can't just try and sell<br>
your products to anyone and everyone asking for anything VoIP-related.<br><br>Things you should know before even suggesting a loan:<br><br>1) What type of equipment is the customer interested in?<br>2) What's the project that the customer needs this equipment for?<br>
3) Is there any other equipment that the customer has been looking at<br>(i.e. who's your competition in the deal)?<br>4) What's the time-table for this project? Is it within the next few<br>months? Next six months? Within a year?<br>
5) Does the project already have a budget, or is this evaluation for a<br>proposal to GET a budget. If it's for a proposal, is there any<br>information you can help provide to distinguish yourself from the<br>competition?<br>
6) Is the customer you're talking to the decision-maker for this<br>project, or will you have to also convince someone higher up?<br><br>Get in the habit of getting to know the customers by name. Keep a good<br>contact database with information about your customers and their<br>
businesses and projects. Follow up via phone when the time-table is<br>nearing completion, but do NOT call every week asking if anything has<br>changed.<br><br>A loan can go a long way toward helping someone better understand your<br>
products and their strengths. It will also help the customer feel as<br>though you're serious about getting their business. But as a loan,<br>there's an understanding that if things don't work out, it will be<br>
returned (this isn't always the case, of course, but you hope for honesty).<br><br><br>N.<br>
<div>
<div></div>
<div class="Wj3C7c"><br><br><br><br>Andy Spring wrote:<br>> Hello everyone friends,<br>><br>> As a chinese supplier, we often meet this kind of status, so many<br>> foreign cusotmers ask for free samples from us,<br>
> but the sample is also high value not only several dollars, even if it<br>> worth several dollars, if so many customers ask<br>> for free samples, we also can not afford them.<br>><br>> By this status, should we send the free samples to our customers? if<br>
> you, how will you do? if not send them free samples<br>> maybe we will lose customers. In fact, the cost of sample is hihger<br>> then unit goods for bulk order.<br>> We have also some policy about the sample, like charger higher price<br>
> for sample(s) and when our customers (especially new customers)<br>> place bulk order, we will return the sample cost to them, but even by<br>> this way, they still do not want to pay for the sample price,<br>> what could we do, do you have any better advice.<br>
><br>> Thank you very much, my friends here everyone!<br>><br>> Best regards<br>><br>> --<br>> andy<br></div></div>> <a href="mailto:andyspr@gmail.com">andyspr@gmail.com</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:andyspr@gmail.com">andyspr@gmail.com</a>><br>
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