4.1 Typical Quotations

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4.1 Typical Quotations

Price Valid for "X" days; subject to confirmation or acceptance; subject to variation; exclusive of packing and delivery, etc. etc.

Delivery X to Y months from receipt of order, subject to

Terms of Payment... .Strictly net, 30 days.

Conditions of Supply (All of which are designed to protect the supplier)

Technical Specification (Probably does no more than match that of competitors.

These items are often wrapped up in a package of old fashioned language and jargon.

Such a format may be understandable from a legal perspective, since a Quotation is a legal document, but what effect does it have in terms of influencing the prospective customer?

What does the Buyer see when he compares the Quotations of seven or eight potential suppliers?

a) Technical Specifications which (hopefully) all more or less meet the Buyer's criteria.

b) Various prices.

c) Various delivery dates.

If "delivery" is not too critical, the Buyer may select the lowest price or will he? Most Buyers are wary of accepting lowest price in case they are not getting best value. In any case, what supplier believes that his product should be bought for its price alone?

If delivery is important, shouldn't the Buyer be a bit wary of a fast delivery promise? Might he not suspect that the supplier has very little work in hand at the moment and wonder why this is?

The conscientious Buyer will probably have to translate the Quotation into facts and figures that are meaningful to him and his company. He will have to work out

a) what gains he can expect b) what savings he can achieve - long and short term c) what maintenance costs d) what degree of compatibility within his company's operations d) any other benefits that are relevant to him e) which product can do the job BETTER than all the others

WHY SHOULD THE BUYER DO THIS ???

Surely it's up to the SUPPLIER to spell out the benefits? Shouldn't the supplier show why HIS product should be selected?

Next page: 4.2 Getting Your Quotation to the Top of the Pile