Keep in mind that you don't always need to send or mail the actual sample. You can send an offer to send a free sample. Let your prospects call, fax, stop by, or log on. When it comes to sending a free sample, remember that the product is not your only cost. There are the added costs of postage, packaging, coupon printing, and so on.
Businesses spend loads of money to attract new customers.
In fact, if you are doing your job prudently, your advertising for new business should be relentless. And regardless of how you go about attracting that new business, it's not cheap. The interesting thing is that as much effort as many companies put into attracting new customers, they often spend very little time, energy, and money to keep the ones they already have. This can be dangerously self-destructive. Think about it.