The Sales process can be helped by an Equipment Evaluation in a number of ways

PROOF OF CONCEPT EVALUATION

With so much good quality IT & AV equipment on the market, from a wide range of Technology manufacturers the differentiating factors between one machine and another maybe very small, and a customer’s choice maybe all around their belief that a particular feature could add value in their organisation. The role of a proof of concept evaluation is to turn that belief into a proven fact, and move the customer on to commitment….if there has been an opportunity to use the product extensively what else needs to be proved? 

When new Technology comes, there does need to be a pipeline of potential early adopters out there in the customer base. Early adopters need to be convinced that the benefits that have been pre-announced are worth the investment required. So “pushing” out new technology to get a groundswell of positive opinion crossing over the blogosphere is a great way to get a fast return… and an evaluation offer to a wide span of interested users is a great sales tactic to make that happen.

LIVE ENVIRONMENT PILOT STUDIES

Assessing the return of investment on an IT equipment purchase decision can be a multi-faceted calculation that spans true direct cost, power savings, carbon footprint calculations along with perceptions of security ….and many other aspects. Teasing out that calculation make take something different than a 2week on the bench evaluation, it might take one month’s use in a live production environment to tease out  the costs and benefits to any level of accuracy. So, allowing customers to use evaluation equipment in a pilot of real, live usage in the real work environment becomes another key element of the overall Sales strategy 

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY CAMPAIGNS

When entering a new market with a new product it might be that it will need a big kick start to get your product recognised alongside the established players in the target market or industry sector. A strong marketing campaign can be successful at taking a message to the target audience and arousing interest. But the interest in a message can be magnified exponentially if it is complemented with the opportunity to actually touch and feel and use the product. So a Try before you Buy campaign, joining up the activity of your preferred marketing agency, with THE EVALUATION TEAM’s skill at managing logistics and expectations, and with your Sales team to finally close the business, can be a great strategy to make a big impact in a target market.

SUPPORT TO ALL YOUR PARTNERS

There are a myriad of Sales organisations out there, each one continually coming forward with initiatives and plans to grow their share of the marketplace. Having chosen to accredit and support a select bunch, it is a strong partnership statement to support those organisations with access to your evaluation equipment, and thereby keep them focussed on your brand. The help might be with specific deals in specific accounts. It could also be help training and product awareness events, with photo shoots and catalogues, and with the partners own need for demo / showroom equipment.