So Many Options: Which Tape Converting Quote is Right for Your Business?
As you shop around, you’re going to quickly have plenty of quote requests from converters to choose from. Some quotes may be quite a bit different from others. How do you know which one is the right converting quote for your business? What should you be looking for to help narrow down all your choices?
Below, we take you on an insider’s tour so you can feel confident about picking the quote that’s best for your business goals.
The First Step Offers an Easy Process of Elimination. Look for These Three Words: Guaranteed Trial Order (GTO)
- Guaranteed Trial Order (GTO)
Different converters may offer different GTO benefits. For example, there are limited GTOs that may cover some costs and not others. But there are also converters that give you 100% guaranteed trial orders.
100% GTOs provide you with absolutely zero risk on your first order. That absolutely zero risk to you is every bit as stress-reducing as it sounds. That’s why we urge you to whittle down your choices to include only converters that fall in the 100% GTO class. This one benefit communicates the level of investment in your project that your business deserves.
At Walker Tape Converting, we invest in your success with a 100% GTO. Ask our experts today about all the services we bring to your project.
Next, Quote Apples to Apples. And By That, We Mean Like Services to Like Services
The next step may sound simple enough, but it requires a bit more familiarity with long-term benefits of custom tape converting. Instead of comparing total costs, weigh like items with like items.
One quote may only be offering to supply you with tape, which may look like the better deal than another quote. But that leaves you responsible for the time and the labor to convert that tape to your needs. In that instance, all you’re buying are rolls of tape. Another quote that might appear more expensive initially, yet saves you more in terms of time and labor.
We’ll cover more on this long-term viewpoint in the next section. The point here is to compare the services being offered: die cost to die cost, cleanup fees to cleanup fees, and so on.
Ready to shop for products to add to a quote? Browse our product pages, and conveniently add products to a quote as you shop.
Focus on Long-Term Benefits to Save Millions Down the Road (and in the Short-Term Too!)
Directly related with the last step, make sure the lure of the total quote estimate doesn’t keep you from massive savings down the road.
Custom service may look more expensive at first glance on a quote estimate, but custom services pay off big over time. Plus, you also see serious ROI within a year.
From totally customizing tape to your application to the slightest measurement tweaks, our custom tape converting saves companies hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
So Many Questions: What should you ask when finding your business the right converter?
All the questions! We cannot stress this point enough. You should ask every question you have. Questions provide a great litmus test for how it is to work with a tape converter.
Their desire to engage with you shows their commitment and investment in your success. If they begin to tire of interacting with you, we guarantee there’s a converter who wants to interact with you as much as you want.
The way we see it is the more questions you ask, the more we learn about what your application needs. Your questions help us find you the most successful option. Everyone wins.
Do the Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs) Make Sense for Your Project?
Startups, small businesses, and international corporations are usually all going to require different MOQs. As your business’s representative, you know what works best for your company. Would the MOQs require you to buy more than makes sense for how your inventory moves?
Are Any of the Converters Willing to Offer You a Lower MOQ for Your First Order?
Converters can offer ways to help you get started with your first order. Lowering MOQs temporarily is one way to show true partnership and investment in your business. It’s also simply smart business.
If it helps you take off, then both you and the converter do better in the long run. It is worth noting though that workarounds are sometimes impossible for certain opportunities.
For many converters with strong relationships with various suppliers, we can get around some of the manufacturer MOQs. Contact us today about potentially offering you a lower MOQ on your first order.
Speaking of Offerings, What Other First-Order Services Are They Willing to Throw Your Way?
If you’re switching from one converter to another, often there are great ways for converters to help you through that process. We can often discount tooling costs, wave cleanup and setup fees, and offer other meaningful services to make the switch go smoothly.
Yet even if this is your first time working with a converter, there are still perks to look for. For example, converters sometimes can offer to give you a better price on your first order. We pull this off by giving you the discount percentage of a higher volume order. That means, even though you are ordering less, they’d give you a price point usually reserved for larger orders
That’s one example of how we may be able to help you get things off the ground.
Which Converters Clearly Have Enough Resources to Find You the Best Solution?
This generally means how many supplier relationships does the converter have?
Sometimes, converters with fewer resources and connections, end up with fewer options to offer you. Are there converters who are settling and quickly offering you something that might not be the best fit? Or are the converters really mining the depths of their resources to find you the best solution out there?
Is the Person Quoting You Getting a Commission as Part of the Quote?
The kind of commission involved can sway which tapes your converter offers you. If a salesperson is fueled by commissions based on a specific product, those incentives may limit their offering to that exact product.
It’s like when a doctor prescribes a medication that is way more expensive than the same off-brand option available at the pharmacy. That same thing can happen with tape.
But there are also commissions based more on how much business a salesperson brings in. In these cases, such a commission incentivizes them to find you the best option in hopes to keep you happy and returning for more.
Long story short, it’s a good idea to understand your converter’s incentives. Commission-based converters may offer you a tape that works great, but there might be a tape out there just as great for a fraction of the price.
Ready to see how uniquely we invest in your project? Send us a free quote request today!
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