KENYA · GUIDE 0906 · EDITION 4.2
Work glove distribution in Kenya: Customers and Market Demand
The buyer and the buying decision
workshops and site managers The offer to test is: Work gloves selected for the stated task and size
Select gloves against the buyer's defined task and documented protective specification, referring protection-critical uncertainty for competent assessment rather than recommending visually similar products by price alone.
Separate interest from an accepted order
Show documented samples to a safety supervisor
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
Keep approved specifications, size demand, supplier records, label photographs, fit complaints and referrals, obtaining renewed buyer approval before substituting an apparently similar glove on repeat orders.
| Question to resolve | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|
| What exactly will the buyer accept? | Review documentation and samples against approved sizes, labels, construction and intended use, requiring evidence for the exact product before making claims about protection from particular workplace hazards. |
| What is included in the first trial? | Select gloves against the buyer's defined task and documented protective specification, referring protection-critical uncertainty for competent assessment rather than recommending visually similar products by price alone. |
| How will a prospect see the offer? | Show safety managers traceable glove samples, manufacturer specifications and a size mix quotation matched to their written task requirements. |
| What must happen before repeating the trial? | Task-appropriate specification without exaggerated protection claims |
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 vague request prompts selection of the cheapest similar glove, leaving a gap between documented performance and the workplace hazard that required competent assessment before procurement.
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 industrial-supply order: thirty-six pairs of one professionally selected warehouse handling glove, allocated twelve M, eighteen L and six XL. The employer’s competent safety assessor specifies the exact model for its actual handling hazards; the distributor arranges three additional fit samples. Do not describe a general-purpose glove as chemical-proof, electrical protection or cut-proof, and do not select protection solely from a photograph of boxes.
| Buyer discussion | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|
| Specification to confirm | Do not translate a vague request for strong gloves into your own protection rating. |
| Output to inspect | Care/replacement decisions follow the actual manufacturer and employer plan, not a universal washing instruction. |
| Failure that can defeat acceptance | Fingers reduce dexterity |
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
Have the assessor compare fit samples and task requirements.. 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.