How to track demo and sample units
To track demo units and samples, each one needs a holder and a return date. In Jestor, a loan connects the unit, the prospect and the expected return, so equipment that leaves the building is accounted for rather than assumed.
Why demo stock disappears
A demo unit is lent to a prospect by a rep who intends to collect it. The deal progresses or does not, the unit stays, and nobody follows up because it belongs to no process.
Over a year this represents real inventory value, written off silently as a cost of sales.
What tracking provides:
- Knowledge of which units are out and with whom
- Return dates that trigger follow up
- Units recovered when a deal is lost
- Condition recorded when they come back
- A deliberate decision when a unit is written off
What each loan record holds
| Field | Why |
|---|---|
| Unit | Connected to the asset registry |
| Holder | The prospect or the rep |
| Related opportunity | Links it to a deal outcome |
| Out and expected return | Drives follow up |
| Condition at dispatch | Baseline for return |
| Outcome | Returned, sold or written off |
Step by step to structure it
- Register demo units as assets with identifiers.
- Create a loan record whenever one leaves.
- Connect it to the opportunity, so the deal outcome is visible.
- Set an expected return date, always.
- Trigger recovery automatically when a deal is lost.
- Record condition on return, before it goes out again.
- Require a decision on any unit out beyond a threshold.
Why linking the loan to the opportunity is the key connection
A unit lent for a deal that was lost three months ago should have been collected then. Connecting the loan to the opportunity means losing the deal can trigger recovery automatically, which is the moment the unit is most easily retrieved.
Why choose Jestor
In Jestor, demo units, loans and opportunities are connected records, so a lost deal can trigger a recovery task automatically. Expected return dates drive alerts, condition photos attach to the record, and units out beyond a threshold appear on a board requiring a decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do demo units disappear?
Because the loan belongs to no process and nobody follows up. See jestor.com.
What should trigger recovery?
The opportunity being lost, which is when the unit is most easily retrieved.
What about units never returned?
They should be written off by explicit decision rather than by silence.
Video Tutorial: Step by Step
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