KENYA · GUIDE 0409 · EDITION 4.2
Terrazzo polishing in Kenya: Customers and Market Demand
The buyer and the buying decision
Schools, offices and older residential buildings. The offer to test is: Restore the appearance of existing terrazzo through a defined polishing service.
Inspect the terrazzo's condition and previous treatments, agreeing a test area and separating polishing from crack repair or structural concerns needing an appropriate specialist.
Separate interest from an accepted order
Assess and sample a small unobtrusive patch with permission.
The purpose of this test is to establish whether the buyer accepts the specified result, delivery arrangement and payment terms. An encouraging interview does not establish repeat demand. Ask what the buyer currently uses, what would make them change supplier and who has authority to approve the first order. Record a refusal as carefully as an enquiry so that unsuccessful offers do not disappear from the evidence.
Collect evidence specific to this offer
Record existing patches, trial results, machine time and edge labour, then use the pilot to set a realistic finish expectation for the whole terrazzo surface.
| Question to resolve | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|
| What exactly will the buyer accept? | Judge the dried test section under the site's normal lighting, checking finish consistency and edges before agreeing how much improvement can reasonably be expected. |
| What is included in the first trial? | Inspect the terrazzo's condition and previous treatments, agreeing a test area and separating polishing from crack repair or structural concerns needing an appropriate specialist. |
| How will a prospect see the offer? | Visit facilities managers with a patch-test proposal and disruption timetable. |
| What must happen before repeating the trial? | Accepted patch finish is reproduced without promising removal of permanent structural defects. |
Decide whether to continue
Review the specification with the buyer before committing to tools or stock. A trial is commercially useful only if actual costs, rejected work, time spent and cash collected can be reconciled. A glossy centre contrasts with dull edges and visible old repairs, leaving the client disappointed because the agreed finish standard covered only the easiest test area.
If a buyer changes the required output, record a new scope and re-cost the test. Do not count a request for a different product as proof of demand for the original one. Keep personal contact details in your private records and use customer statements publicly only with permission.
Turn the example into a buyer test
Fictional sample order: Restore the agreed appearance of ten square metres of identified cementitious terrazzo through a trained floor-restoration provider, after a one-square-metre approved sample. Exclude unknown resin systems until identified, deep structural cracking, slab levelling, unsafe dry dust generation and guaranteed removal of all embedded stains. Desired gloss and traction are agreed together rather than selling maximum shine alone.
| Buyer discussion | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|
| Specification to confirm | Unknown material or old coating is assessed before abrasive treatment. |
| Output to inspect | Recorded cracks and embedded stains remain visible exceptions; finish is not a structural certification. |
| Failure that can defeat acceptance | Circular scratches remain |
Ask the buyer to describe one acceptable and one unacceptable result. Record the decision maker, price basis, quantity, handover point and payment date privately. A sample request, an encouraging conversation and an accepted order are different evidence. Keep the first commitment within your demonstrated capacity; no customer interview or successful trial is asserted here.
What a failed test should change
Specialist reviews tooling, contamination and the actual approved process.. If the offer cannot meet that check, revise the specification or process before promising a repeat. Keep rejected offers and reasons in the same register as positive replies so that your record does not exaggerate demand.