Everyone knows that building and renovation projects take time to complete. But there’s a lot to be said for quick gratification—especially up front, when customers are choosing materials and trying to envision the results.

There are two parts to quick gratification. The “quick” part reflects the “I want it now” demands of our convenience culture. Shoppers today expect that life’s necessities, and even unnecessary luxuries, should always be easily available.

Think of the dramatic rise of online shopping sites like Amazon, eBay, Etsy and others that have succeeded by delivering virtually anything a customer might want right to the doorstep. Even Home Depot is in on the action with an ecommerce site that outranks Target and Best Buy, offering quick delivery of everything consumers could get by driving to the store, plus a lot more.

Building products manufacturers that can deliver on the convenience part of quick gratification have a natural advantage in winning customers who can’t wait to get started with their project, dreaming about how amazing it will look.

Which brings us to the “gratification” part. The look, touch and feel of the actual product can close the deal in a way that a brochure can’t.

It’s much more compelling to have that hands-on experience in the home or on the job site than at the building supply store. And even in the store, actual product samples that are presented attractively and accompanied by useful information and design inspiration are far more likely to drive purchases than a sales sheet picturing products stored away in the warehouse.

Regrettably, today’s building material suppliers and marketers rarely offer sampling programs that deliver quick gratification. Sample orders are likely to take weeks to fulfill, and when the samples finally arrive they’re likely to be in a plain box with no thought given to presentation or supporting information. Pieces may even be broken due to inexpert packing.

But when sampling programs in your industry are mostly an afterthought, you have a huge opportunity to outshine the competition. Effective product sampling isn’t a mystery. All the knowledge and resources are available to provide the quick gratification consumers want.

Consider that the ecommerce leader, Amazon, is now putting its considerable marketing and logistics expertise into a CPG sampling program based on individual consumer habits and preferences. It’s a marketing win for Amazon and its retailers because an in-person sample that delights customers removes any remaining doubt about whether they should push the Buy Now button. You can create the same opportunity.

Delight now to win more: That’s the goal of a sophisticated sampling program that understands today’s consumer expectations for convenient satisfaction. Dynamic program management provides the “quick.” Engaging samples provide the “gratification.”