Imprest FAQ
What do you do? We manage and finance office supplies and consumables for our customers with a unique stock management system. We supply toner cartridges, inks, copier papers, pens, pencils, stationery, office furniture, computer equipment - anything at all for the office, in fact. Delivery is free and there are no hidden costs. And unlike the traditional 'buying and stocking up' method, our customers don't pay for items until they've used them. Do you make us sign a contract? No we don't. Why's that? Because we don't need one. Many suppliers tie their customers into a contract for a few years, promising to maintain prices. (Which is a bit odd, considering prices tend to go down anyway.) If you really want to leave Stock in Trade, you can. But we're confident that our time and money saving service will make you want to stay for the long term. What do you mean by 'fully managed'? Putting in our stock and maintaining it for your use means you'll never over-order, or run out of what you need. And you'll never end up with obsolete stock. What do you mean by 'financed'? Let's be clear about this - the stock that we deliver to your premises isn't yours. It's ours. Which frees the money you had tied up in stock back into your own business. And because this stock is ours, you won't be loaded up with more than you can use in a reasonable time. But doesn't this mean I will end up using more? No it doesn't. Our system is driven by your usage, something which we can't influence. If you need it, you use it. That's it. We can't increase your spending with cut-price catalogue offers, 2 for 1 deals or any of that other stuff. For the first time ever, you'll only be buying what you need - not what's been sold to you. What's to stop you shipping stuff we don't need and billing us for it? You only get charged for items after you've used them. It's our stock, so we'd rather keep it ourselves, right up until it's actually needed. How do you make sure you don't charge us for stock we already own? In our initial audit we count all the supplies you currently have. We take these into account when we work out your bill. Your invoice contains a Usage Analysis Report - showing all your stock usage; yours AND ours. You'll only be charged once you've used up your existing stock and have started using the items we've supplied. What is an initial audit? It's the first thing we do when you become our customer. It involves making a note of all the stock and equipment you have at the time. This gives us a very good picture of what you need and what you're wasting. The process usually takes half an hour - depending on your office. When it's done, you get a full report listing our findings. How often do you come round? Every four weeks. We need these constant intervals to get accurate usage data. But we visit new customers more often, until we get to know how quickly they're using things. Where are we expected to keep all this stock? Wherever you do now, just more efficiently. We try as hard as possible to keep what's on your site to an absolute minimum. If you're particularly short of space we'll keep levels down further by counting stock more frequently. If we are counted more often does that mean we get more bills? No, not unless you prefer to. We usually invoice every four weeks, even if your stock is counted weekly. How competitive are your prices? If this is such a good service, you must be paying for it somewhere, right? Well, no. Our prices are competitive, but as we don't do things the traditional way, we don't have the usual overheads. The service is free - and you'd be hard put to get more 'cost effective' than that! So how come some of your prices are higher than our current supplier? We don't claim to be the cheapest on every product all the time - no one can. But a substantial price difference usually means we are not being fairly compared. Some suppliers quote prices for lower capacity cartridges, compatibles or even counterfeit goods. One new customer was completely unaware that his old supplier had been shipping him compatibles and not originals. More importantly, when comparing prices between suppliers you should always take your 'usage' into account. Why does usage matter? Because it's the only way you can do a realistic price comparison between suppliers. Some suppliers promote 'loss leaders' - offer a knock-down price on items you want, but may not use that often. And you might not see as significant the fact that they charge slighly more for other items. But when you take 'usage' into account you can see that a saving on something you buy a few times a year does not compare to smaller increase on somethingyou buy regularly and in high numbers. That's why it is important that you keep track of what you use, rather than what you buy. And our service gives you that information every single month. A supplier cannot influence your usage, but Stock in Trade can make sure you don't spend more than you need to. Click here to view our Price Comparison Presentation How do you know what to send us? It's a complicated calculation based on how quickly you use things. We'll leave you with enough of everything to last you past the next stock count, and half way to the one after that. As we build up your usage history the process is further refined, so that you have as little stock on your site as possible - without you being in any danger of running out. What if our marketing department do a mail shot and use all the colour toner and big envelopes? If you've got something coming up that's going to take extra supplies, let us know ahead of time - and we'll make sure you have enough. If you don't have any warning, or you just forget to tell us - we'll get emergency supplies to you, pronto. How do you get supplies to us in an emergency? There isn't one huge Stock in Trade warehouse with all our stuff in it. Our stock is spread around the country - at our customers' sites. This means that we can transfer products to you very quickly. We've transferred stock between customer sites many times. Sometimes customers are happy to walk up the road and collect it. On one memorable occasion the boss of a company dropped an item off at another company on his way out to lunch. How's that for service? If we really don't have anyone nearby, we'll arrange for conventional next day or same day delivery. What are your delivery charges? There's no charge for your regular supplies. If you need something not on your list and can't wait until your usual delivery, we would charge shipping at a cost. Ordering special one-off items like furniture and large equipment may also incur a charge. Why is regular delivery free? Because our stock is delivered before you need it we don't have to pay for fast next-day delivery. We take full responsibility for managing your stock so if your run out of something because of unexpectedly high usage, we'll still get it to you free.
Do you offer 'next day' delivery? No, we do 'Delivered Yesterday'. Free. What happens if we throw out a printer and end up with consumables we don't need any more? If they're OUR consumables, we'll take them away and deliver them to another customer. If you bought them before joining us, we'll offer to buy them from you. What if I buy a new printer and need a different cartridge for it? If you buy new equipment that needs consumables, you need to let us know, so we can add them to the list. That way you'll have replacements ready when you need them. What if I need to order something we don't normally use? Just do it the old-fashioned way. Pick up the telephone and place an order. Or send a fax or email. We'll give you one of our annual product brochures. If you mislay your copy, you can always look at our Online Catalogue. When do I get invoiced? You are not liable to pay for an item until you use it. It could then be 4 weeks before you get invoiced for it. And then another 30 days before you have to pay the bill. All in all the item could have been in your stock cupboard for weeks before you used it and almost 2 months until you actually have to pay for it. Will it fit in with our purchasing system? Yes. The Stock in Trade system is designed to mesh seamlessly with customers' existing purchasing setups. Can I have a separate invoice for a particular item or a special project? Yes. Why don't your invoices match your delivery notes? Because we're invoicing you for what you use - not what we've delivered. Why don't you just sell stuff like a traditional supplier? This may sound corny, but we don't just want to flog you stuff and move onto the next punter. We want our service running smoothly for you to make sure nothing stops you getting on with your business. Why should I switch when my existing supplier says he can manage my stock? We've heard this before - many times. But it's never yet been true. They are just faking it. They may offer 'consignment stock' but they won't finance or manage it like we do. We've spent years developing our system and writing the software to manage it. It's unique. Can I order online? You haven't quite grasped this yet, have you? In the normal run of things you shouldn't need to order anything. But if you need a new product, phone, fax or email one of our experts. They'll get you what you need straightaway. We're quite remote. Do you really come out all this way to see us? Yes, if you're based in the UK. What if we have security issues? Many existing customers have security systems in place and we haven't yet found one we couldn't comply with. We're happy to discuss any concerns you have. How can we be sure you'll give us sound advice on which product to use? We have an ongoing relationship with you, so it's in our interest to give the best advice we can. We've been in the 'office supply' game for over 18 years and we know every product on the market, so it's a safe bet that you'll get excellent advice every time. Never heard of you before. Why don't you advertise? Because we don't believe advertising is best use of our money. What we save on advertising costs pays for our stock management system. Most of our new business comes through word of mouth recommendation. Do you have any guarantees? Yes. We guarantee to save you time and money. What's the catch? There isn't one. What's the Stock in Trade 'Rebate Club'? Just in case you missed it: Click to read about the Rebate Club Why should I swap suppliers? Have you read any of this? You've just jumped straight to this question! Now go back and do it properly. |
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