​Maximizing Investment in Your Sales Demo Equipment

By Vicki Swisher

DFW Operations Manager

Technical Transportation, Inc

When trying to close a sale, few things work better than a quality demonstration of your product. It’s an opportunity for you and your product to shine, and you want your demo equipment to be working at its very best.

However, many manufacturers today make the risky move of managing the transport and setup of their demo equipment in-house, often delegating those tasks to their sales teams.

While this may be a good approach for some mainstream, or easy-to-handle products, it is highly discouraged for large and complex technology and equipment, where the risk of damage or defects caused by mishandling during transport can literally result in the loss of a potential sale (and reduce the inventory value of the asset).

Unknown to some manufacturers, there are logistics companies that actually perform the packing, transport and set-up of demo equipment, and in this blog, we’ll outline some benefits of outsourcing this process.

Handle with Care — Many sales reps will use corrugated cardboard boxes to transport their demo equipment, however, those boxes often deteriorate after just one or two uses and they do not protect the material as originally designed for a one-time use.

Here at TechTrans, we created a program that designs reusable crates, customized to the specific needs of each piece of demo equipment. These customized wooden, pelican, anvil and metal crates offer specific packing and stabilization support for delicate or weighted equipment and have foam inserts to minimize vibration impact.

There is an initial investment that is more costly than original (one-time use) packaging. However, these solid crates offer more longevity and protection for a customer’s product and can be turned several times before inexpensive minor repairs are performed to prolong the life of the container. These crates also enable us to transport the equipment on the more cost-effective LTL system, thus saving manufacturers money in transportation costs.

Less Loss — A third-party partner that knows your industry and your products can minimize mistakes and reduce losses. It’s important to work with a partner that has experience-proven processes in place and skilled staff that can expertly move your demo equipment anywhere, at any time your sales team needs it.

Outsourcing also puts the demo move capability back into the hands of management versus putting the entire burden on the sales teams. This can save time and money while minimizing mistakes and losses. It also gives manufacturers better inventory control of their products through proper tracking of each demo product in the field.

More Time with Prospects — Outsourcing this function will give your sales team more time to do what they do best — prepare for presentations, network with prospects and close deals. Outsourcing helps minimize the time your sales team spends on non-revenue-generating activities, and guarantees that your demo equipment will be ready to go and operating at its best when your prospects come calling.

Do you want to learn more about improving the transportation and setup of your demo equipment? Contact us today!