Can I Try at? Sample Fulfillment Made Easier by Jeremy Suratt

A little over a month ago, I bought a top-of-the-line Nikon D610 camera. I was thrilled to hear that the retailer offers a 45-day money-back guarantee. This means I have a full month and a half to test this excellent piece of technology before fully committing to the purchase.

This is a great example of Try before you buy. And isn't that what we all want?

The trial period is also becoming more common in business-to-business transactions. In fact, in the manufacturing industry, product sampling has become a standard part of the sales process. And why not? If you're responsible for tending to a corporate budget, you want to be certain of your investment's value.

There's one big difference between try-before-you-buy consumer and B2B purchases: It's easier for my camera's manufacturer to supply me with the product than it maybe for a manufacturer of conveyor belts to fulfill a prospect's request for a sample.

Fulfillment: So What's the Big Deal?

Manufacturing warehouse systems are adept at turning over cases and pallets. But let's say your sales team needs to send a prospect a sample of hook and loop tape or glue to close a sale. Your warehouse is more likely to ship an entire wheel of tape or a 100-tube case of glue, simply because your inventory management system only knows how to dole out products in bulk.

It's unlikely that your company can afford to over deliver its samples, especially when the prospect needs to test only a small quantity of your product to make a decision. Not only does this broken process waste valuable product dollars, but think of the added costs for shipping and packaging each time you ship a full-size product or case instead of a single sample.

It's Time to Right-Size Sample Fulfillment

As in the case with my new camera, your firm needs to provide enough product so that the buyer can touch, feel, and test it before committing. And when managing that product fulfillment process internally poses a challenge, it's time for assistance from an experienced product fulfillment vendor.

A fulfillment vendor can ensure that you're sending right-size samples, thus cutting shipping and packaging costs. And because you're sending just a tube and not an entire case of glue, shipping time will be expedited, too. That increases your chance of making a sale.

As for my Nikon? I think I'm sold. And that's the beauty of trying before buying: When it's done well, companies get to close the sale with little risk and big rewards.

Do you have questions about fulfillment service? Read additional Knowledge Center stories on this subject, or contact Iron Mountain's Fulfillment Services team.You'll be connected with a knowledgeable product and services specialist who can address your specific challenges.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/service-lines/marketing-production-...
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