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INDUSTRY ROUND-UP:
Large format scanner news and views
ArtSystems launch Contex "Try and Buy" large format program in UK
ArtSystems' Puppy Dog Close!
ArtSystems, the UK distributor of Contex wide format scanners, and Contex, the Danish manufacturer, are giving potential UK large format scanner buyers the opportunity to trial a Contex scanner for up to two weeks before making a decision to purchase it.
Scanners4CAD thinks this is a great idea, one which is long overdue.
Today, if you want to buy a software application the standard procedure is to first download a trial and evaluate it at your leisure for the trial period. We would never buy any software without testing a demo first. If no demo is available, we won't buy it!
ArtSystems say they are doing this because Contex believe some manufacturers datasheets do not accurately reflect true performace. We agree that NONE do!
Scanners4CAD believe that the opportunity to evaluate a large format scanner before buying it is a helpful development. It will do much to reassure buyers that they are buying a product that is suitable for their large format scanning needs. However, we have reservations about buyers understanding their scanning needs, especially scannned image quality issues and also making a comparative evaluation of other products.
"Try before you buy!"
Contex SD4490
"Try and Buy" Evaluation -
Two Weeks FREE Trial!
ArtSystems offer is a wide format version of the Puppy Dog Close, a classic sales technique used by pet store owners to sell puppies. The idea is that it is much harder for anyones to say "no" once a soft and cuddly puppy is placed in their hands.
Another variation of the Puppy Dog Close allows the puppy to be taken home and trialed on the basis that it can be returned at any time. At some point, however, the puppy licks the child on the nose and a bond is created. The sale is made not by a salesperson but by the puppy.
ArtSystems expect that with installation and training, a Contex scanning solution will sell itself during the two week trial. We know from our own in-house reviews that a full evaluation is a time-consuming process.
As a result, many of those who take advantage of this "Try and Buy" offer will merely "satisfice" themselves - they will not want to go through the hassle of evaluating other products to find the optimal scanner if the price of the tested Contex scanner is within reason and the system proves easy to use and gives adequate results.
Scanners4CAD hope that the other manufacturers will follow Contex's and ArtSystems' lead and make their products available for evaluation also. In fact, some suppliers do provide loan scanners to selected customers for testing, if asked. However, they do not have a formal strategy like "Try and Buy" for making them more widely available.
One reason for not doing so is the fear that companies with a limited scanning requirement will use "Try and Buy" as an opportunity to scan all their documents within the two week trial period, then return the scanner. This creates a problem for both the scanner reseller and other potential buyers. Once a large format scanner is returned at the end of the evaluation period, the wide format scanner supplier is no longer a new product. Whoever receives it next as an evaluation unit may be expected to buy a used product.
ArtSystems say all "Try and Buy" scanners are supplied new and unused.
Jon Jordan, ArtSystems, Scan & 3D Imaging Solutions Product Manager, is enthusiastic about the potential which this campaign has to revitalise Contex large format scanner sales in the UK. He said "We’ve worked hard to create a range of offerings for end users. "Try and Buy" is the most prominent.
"We think that the market will also respond to the new pricing. The aim is to get what we believe is the best wide format scanner on the market today in front of users and let them make their minds up by experiencing Contex quality to the full. This starts with impartial advice to help them select the best model for what they want to achieve, then extends through the whole evaluation process.
""Try and Buy" units will be set by our own engineers. Users will receive full training on them. We want users to have all the facts at their disposal before they make a decision. "Try and Buy" will do just that for free!" said Jordan.
"Try and Buy" went live in the UK in February 2009 and will run until the end of June.
"Try and Buy" forms part of a wider reseller channel programme called "Refuse to Lose", (see box, right), that puts powerful sales resources into the hands of the Contex Authorised resellers.
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We suggest that all participants in Contex's "Try and Buy" scheme read the following articles about scanning in order to get the best possible results from their evaluation:
Creating high quality scans for raster to vector conversion
Old Al's Large Format Scanning Hints and Tips Page
In addition, people evaluating Contex's SD series may want to have a look at our Contex SD4490 large format scanner review.
ArtSystems: http://www.artsystems.co.uk
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ArtSystems "Refuse to Lose"
ArtSystems is running a "Refuse to Lose" campaign in the UK in conjunction with the Contex "Try and Buy" large format scanner Trial. The UK Contex scanner distributor says it is the guinea pig for a campaign which, if it works, Contex may take globally.
Unlike the "Try and Buy" large format scanner Trial which is aimed at carefully qualified potential UK buyers, the "Refuse to Lose" campaign is designed for UK large format resellers. It aims to give them the knowledge, argument and tools to win every sale.
According Jon Jordan, ArtSystems' Scan & 3D Imaging Solutions Product Manager, "Refuse to Lose" is all about "margin retention".
This will appeal to Contex's UK regional resellers who face stiff competition from other resellers who sell countrywide on the internet at discounted prices. The need to offer a competitive or matching discount, especially in today's economic climate, has created a situation where resellers make very little on a typical sale.
So, ArtSystems in partnership with Contex are now offering resellers the opportunity to "make more margin" through a "Refuse to Lose" campaign. Steps taken to make Contex resellers stronger and more competitive in the UK include:
If a reseller's client is genuinely interested in a Contex scanner, ArtSystems will introduce them to the "Try and Buy" campaign. This starts with free advice on the best Contex scanner for their needs. It is followed up with free delivery and installation with on-site training. The customer then has the scanner for a two week trial period during which they enjoy ArtSystems' full technical support.
Trial scanners are delivered free to the customer. This increases the reseller's profit and their ability to offer a better discount. In matching a Trial unit's price to that of a competing product, ArtSystems is determined "not to lose a sale just on price". "Show us a valid quote from a competitor and we will match it!", Jordan said.