Key takeaways
- Paid samples with credit against first PO beat free samples that never convert.
- Exclusivity needs SKU lists, volume floors, and review dates — not slogans.
- Territory maps should match how your sales team actually covers accounts.
Distributors ask for exclusivity early. Factories that agree without volume floors create conflict with other channels later. Put the commercial math in the same document as the SKU list.
On samples, define who pays freight, how many rounds are included, and what happens to tooling if the program dies after sample lock. Ambiguity here becomes argument during the first dispute.
Keep a short FAQ for your sales team so answers stay consistent across WhatsApp, email, and trade-show conversations.