Should You Offer Free Trials?
Posted by Susan A. Enns under Sales Management Skills, Sales Skills
In some industries, it is common for prospects to request free, on site trials of the product before they make their purchasing decision. Whenever possible, regardless if it is commonplace in your industry, do not agree to these trials. The dealership would certainly not allow you to drive a car for a month before buying it, nor would a real estate agent allow you to live in the house before you bought it.
Sometimes, prospects use these free trials as a way of getting free use of a machine for an extended period of time, without ever having the intention of actually purchasing. If there are six possible suppliers and each offers one month free trial, the prospect just got a free machine for half a year! Even if this is not the case, the prospect should be able to make a decision without an extended on site trial.
A better strategy for these situations is a limited time conditional order. Conditional orders are a very effective way to ensure that you are working with a serious buyer. “Yes, Mr. Prospect, you can try this equipment before you purchase. I will post date my sales contract for one week. After that time, if the product has done what we promise it to do, we will exercise it. If not, we will tear it up. Does that sound fair?”
If the customer says no to this, chances are he was not ready to buy at the end of the free trial demonstration anyway. However, if the sales process has been followed, including a thorough fact find with a properly fit solution, chances are that the customer will say yes. Then your trial is not merely an on site demonstration for a prospect, it is actually operator training for a customer!
Aim Higher!
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Susan A. Enns, B2B Sales Connections
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