First, looking for customers
1. Exhibition
Canton Fair, China Fair, Japan Exhibition, Hong Kong Exhibition, Indonesia Exhibition and so on. The exhibition is a high concentration of foreign trade traffic, generally go to the exhibition of people then peers, either on the related types of products have the need or have the intention to buy customers. For peers, you can learn from their way of selling products as well as experience; for customers, you can take the opportunity to sell your products to them, so participate in the exhibition for foreign trade is a two-in-one thing. But we also need to learn to self-identify, not all types of exhibitions we have to participate in, we only need to participate in exhibitions similar to our product type.
Participating in the exhibition is also a technical work, do a good job can be "fame and fortune", do not do a good job is a failure. Therefore, we also need to find the right way to get our target customers, so what can we do to maximize the role of the exhibition and the effect?
①Participate in the exhibition before
Before the exhibition, we should design our booth, including space design and booth placement, etc. Some of the design, there are enough creative design to attract more customers to consult, when the flow of people is enough, then worry about no target customers it
Before the exhibition, we can also send an invitation to the exhibition of our potential customers or old customers, ask them to send an invitation to the exhibition, and then send an invitation to the exhibition. We can also send invitations to our potential customers or old customers to participate in the exhibition. This can maintain good contact with our customers, but also for our products to do the promotion, why not do it.
② Participate in the exhibition
During the exhibition, we should be up to twelve points of the spirit to face the customers who come to consult, enthusiastic attitude is always more infected customers, for the exhibition of customers, when the goods enough to focus on the time, who have a good service attitude, perhaps they will be in the who ordered, so the service attitude is also a winning strategy to get customers.
Of course, when customers come to consult our products, to fully demonstrate our products, good product description is also essential.
③ After the exhibition
After the exhibition, we also need to follow up with customers, planned customer visits, ask customers about their purchase intentions, or you can also ask customers for the exhibition of the exhibition of the product's comments and suggestions.
2. Social software
For example, Facebook, Skype, Linkedin and so on. Mainly through the search function, search out your target customers, can be combined with google search company name to find people, you can also directly search the product name to find out the person in charge of the relevant company, and you can browse to his resume and other details.
Take Facebook as an example, to find customers through Facebook:
Like Chinese people play WeChat, foreigners also play Facebook, and many trading companies are also looking for foreigners on it; for factories and foreign trade salesmen, using it to find customers is very effective.
Development method: combination of keyword search, join the group, skillfully send product promotion information; observation and screening, add people in the group, interactive chat, negotiation and cooperation.
Want to use Facebook to develop to customers:
First you have to figure out its rules. It is recommended to add friends not too often, station letter sent not too often, otherwise it is easy to be blocked. Secondly, to learn to maintain their own accounts, usually send more products around the relevant news, interspersed with photos of their own factories, the advantages of their own products with the material, etc., as if the microblogging operations, customers take the initiative to the door you win.
Twitter and linkedin can also find foreign customers, the method is similar, there are a lot of related tutorial articles and videos online, you can go to the depth of the study.
3. Search engine
Google, for example:
For foreign trade people, the world's largest share of the search engine - Google search, is undoubtedly the best customer search software, how do we search for our target customers on this? Through the key phrases of the search is the most convenient way for us to find potential customers.
Keyword search and the following ways
① specific product / model / small class keywords
This type of word search is very easy to search for highly targeted potential customers, it can be said that the word search to the content, either your customers or your competitors.
② industry/application/big keywords
By industry words to start searching, it is easy to expand the scope of the search, for customer resources are too few foreign trade is a good choice, as long as the customer is to do your related products, you may be able to develop it into your customers.
③ product features keywords
From the product features to start searching for keywords, it is very easy to open the customer characteristics, such as "low price + product words", the search for customer resources is interested in low price, for this kind of obvious features, for foreign trade people's development work is very useful.
④ Multilingual keywords
Do not search on Google must be used in English, in fact, there are more potential customers is the existence of other languages inside, for such customers, English is difficult to search for them, but they are the customer group can not be underestimated in a resource.
4. Other sources
① Through SEO to find: let their own products in the web page rankings, and then the user will be attracted to.
② from the B2B site to find: as much as possible to some of the B2B platform above the registration, it is best to foreign local sites, so that the traffic from abroad is large. Above a few can be free to register, publish commodity information, the most important thing is that most of the foreign trade sites, targeted very strong.
③ foreign trade forums to find: recommended forums: Alibaba Foreign Trade Circle, Global Foreign Trade Forum, Fubu Foreign Trade Forum, Bang read knowledge service platform, 91fob foreign trade forum ......
④ from the platform to find: such as Alibaba, Global Sources, Amazon and other platforms. Whether it's a paid platform or a free platform, register and publish as much product information as possible!
⑤ Finding from the Yellow Pages: Instead of aimlessly searching for customers, newbie businessmen should quietly look for customers in the Yellow Pages.
⑥ from friends and relatives to find: no matter relatives, friends or colleagues, as long as there is a use of the relationship, then ask them to help, tell them that you are now doing the freight forwarding, if anyone who has a friend or relative to do foreign trade need to find a freight forwarder, then help to introduce it. Through the people who know may find a few more stable sources, but also through the relationship between the introduction of the freight forwarding company will let the foreign trade company more assured.
⑦ from the exhibitors from various countries: there are many well-known foreign exhibitions, there are related homepage, such as: IFMA, eurobike, etc., the homepage will have exhibitors' products and contact information. These exhibitors are sellers, but also may be the largest import customers, factory salesman can play their own factory advantage to contact to follow up.
Foreign trade state: search box, enter the product keyword search, will come out of the product of many foreign buyers, register and log in to see the buyer's contact name, contact information, transaction details, etc., every day you can see some free. You can select the time period to see the buyers in the last year.
United Nations Customs Data Network: with the first 6 bits of the customs code to query, you can also query some foreign buyers. The site is pure English, need to study well.
⑨ from the freight forwarder to find: the freight forwarder can not only provide services for the factory, but also provide customers for the factory, they have a long time and foreign trade companies to deal with, the hands of some long-term cooperation with the trading company, these trading companies are also customers, and it is still very easy to take the customer. So, in the future, and then meet the freight forwarding, do not hit a rod to death, stay a contact.
Second, the maintenance of customers
1, active communication, do not passive consulting
As a trading company, as an importer, many times the customer is not just a single operation of a product, that would limit his development, the customer will generally be with the same manufacturer to do a class of products, and as a producer of the business you There is room to play, do not have to wait for customers to consult one by one, take the initiative to introduce the products you can do to increase the trust between you and the customer, but also to stimulate his desire to order.
2, customer consultation to maintain enough patience
Have encountered the kind of repeated requests for proofing? A lot of business encountered the kind of repeated modification sampling customers will feel very annoying, a bad mood will be cold customers, so you lose a customer. In fact, if you think about it, why do customers repeatedly request to modify the proofing? That's because he is very attentive to the development of new products in cooperation, indicating that the other side is very sincere cooperation, and you because of your lack of patience and lost so likely to order a customer, do not think it is a waste?
3, keep in touch with the customer
In the whole of the order cooperation, as well as in ordinary life, as a business we are often to communicate with the customer, the order cooperation process, with the customer to keep in touch with the customer is very conducive to letting the customer know the production of his goods, shipping, and logistics, so that the customer's goods to maintain sufficient control of their own. The same time also produces the trust of you.
And in ordinary life, and customers often contact will be better to increase the feelings between you, so that customers have the need to more easily take into account the relationship with you.
4, the best conditions for face-to-face
Mail a thousand times as well as meet once, in the salesman industry, very few meet with customers, but it does not mean that we do not need to meet with customers, on the contrary, face-to-face is an effective way to develop the business, compared to a long period of time across the network of e-mail conversations, meet with each other more than an increase in a foundation of trust. Let the customer's impression of you more profound.
5, occasionally reveal the cost of the product
Customers can find us to cooperate in the domestic market, in fact, part of the reason is to look at the cost of our cost, our cost-effective, he will work with us, but very often the customer is not like you to earn his money, on the contrary, no matter what you say the sky is the limit, the customer will think that you make money, and he will not be earned because of you! His money and do not cooperate with you, sometimes you can occasionally reveal the cost to the customer, you can add a lot of points in the hearts of customers instead.
6, there is a set of efficient customer management
Our energy is limited, more customers will become chaotic, many times the attitude of the customer will be thicker than thin, how to maximize the care of the customer's feelings, the need for a scientific and effective management approach, this is a personal experience.
Now foreign countries are infected with the new coronavirus, this year's foreign trade should not be good prospects.
How to do a good job in foreign trade, the first thing is to choose a good product, and now a lot of products have no profit, there is no order. I can give you some advice, I hope to help you.
1, how to choose the product
First of all, from their own side of the resources to find, such as factories, many factories do not have the right to import and export, but is very strong, can be done to achieve the advantages of international leading products.
Find the English name of the product, to Alibaba to find the number of related products and suppliers, as well as sales, to do a statistical situation.
Through Google Trends to find the keyword heat, Google Keyword Tool to find the international search heat, whether someone looking for information about this product.
With free customs data you can find out something.
Combined, make an assessment, what price can be achieved, how much profit, how many target customer groups and so on.
2, the promotion of channels
No matter which channel has a good effect, there are bad results, we must get the real data before making up our minds to do or not to do.
Offline exhibitions: Now many foreign trade enterprises have taken the exhibition as an opportunity to meet offline, through online contact with customers, the intention of the premise is strong, about to meet at the exhibition, purely unfamiliar with the probability of customers talk into. The company is also able to collect a lot of information, including the development of the industry, foreign trade customers and other information.
Alibaba
alibaba international station, with a basic version of the must be added to the P4P, the cost of their own words, the specific effect of how to refer to the online display data, peers.
Made in China
The situation is basically the same as above
In Google is the world's largest traffic distribution platform, there are a lot of foreign trade products with good results, through SEO, adwords, etc., first analyze the data through Google's professional tools, and whether someone is really retrieving the products you want to do on Google, do not blindly put.
Any one of the promotion channels should be, seriously, all the facts speak, do not blindly.
3, turnover time
Good products, good promotion channels, good business people, good supply chain, according to different friends feedback, the fastest time is 1-3 months. Now the form of foreign trade is not as good as before, you have to be patient.
In the past, we picked orders to do, now we have to cultivate customers, develop and grow with customers, give customers time to let their customers grow into their own big customers.
Recommended a few efficient customer acquisition channels:
A search engine
It is said that even Google will not be used, but also said that in doing foreign trade? In the Internet is highly developed today, the search engine can be said to net a huge number of customers.
You can use keywords, such as: industry or product keywords + importer, industry or product keywords + buyer, industry or product keywords + email suffix ... ...
But manual search is slow and inefficient, plus many people are not familiar with Google search instructions and search principles, so often spend a lot of time can not find the target customers want.
In order to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the search for customers, you can use foreign trade software, so that you are faster than the N step, rapid batch lock global accurate customers, and deep digging bosses, purchasing, CEOs and other key decision makers of the phone, mailboxes, social accounts, and easily access to the global massive business opportunities.
2. Customs data
Customs data is derived from actual shipping bill of lading information, and the data content is authoritative and complete, including the shipper and consignee's company as well as specific merchandise information and quantities, and prices.
Customs data can help you find buyers with purchasing behaviors, peer customers, and customers' customers, and also help you analyze customers' purchasing habits, purchasing frequency, purchasing quantity, psychological price, etc., which can help companies quickly find their target customers and efficiently convert them into orders!
But the customs data itself is not with contact information, in order to better help you develop foreign customers, be sure to choose the real procurement of key people customs data . For example, Suvi SmartSearch, a key decision-maker contact information such as bosses, procurement, executives and other key decision-makers can be mined in a single click, allowing you to quickly and multi-dimensionally reach out directly to customers, greatly enhancing the efficiency of customer acquisition.
Three, social media
At home, social media such as WeChat, Jitterbug, Weibo and other social media occupy a lot of our time, while abroad Facebook, LinkedIn and so on are changing the social habits of overseas users.
LinkedIn, the world's largest professional social networking platform, has over 630 million users. Currently 30 million companies around the world have joined LinkedIn, of which 40 million LinkedIn users are at the decision-making level.
Facebook is the world's largest social media network. As of the end of 2019, facebook has a whopping 2.45 billion active users per month and 1.5 billion searches on Facebook per day.
Therefore, using social media to develop customers has become a must for foreign trade companies.
Now, with no need to add friends through the foreign trade software, you can dig deeper into the customer mailbox, and more can help you break the network limitations, to get more of the same level or even high-level account can not reach the network of the authority, for foreign trade people social media development customer help to add code.
Fourth, the map to find customers
The world has a lot of small buyers, such as stores, stores and so on, these customers do not go to the exhibition, but also very few on the B2B platform, and even the site is not, the search engine is very difficult to find them, but there is a place to be sure that there is information about them, that is, the map.
The use of foreign trade software, according to the country, city, business district accurate search for global customers, whether you want to find a larger wholesaler, or the street scattered retailers, can help you accurately locate to the real realization of carpet development.
3D visualization helps you further determine the quality and scale of your buyers, and target the highest quality customers!
Five, brand to find customers
Trademarks, is a unique identification of the enterprise. In countries with early intellectual property development, most companies have their own trademarks.
If you know the trademark, but can not get in touch with the prospective customers, through the foreign trade software can quickly find the right contact.
Of course, you can also use product keywords to quickly find a large number of high-quality customers who have their own independent trademarks.
Six, yellow pages to find customers
Yellow pages, equivalent to a city / region of the business enterprise account book, almost every city in the world, they record the business information of different industries.
As long as we find the right and accurate yellow pages of foreign enterprises, we can quickly obtain a huge amount of target customer resources, so as to map out the development of a country's market.
It is recommended that foreign trade people who are actively developing must put the tool to use. After all, human energy is limited, time is especially valuable, do not spend too much time on searching for customers on this mechanical work, but to find ways to use to analyze the customer, follow up with customers, to facilitate the transaction, so that the customer development to do more with less.
1. B2B platform promotion
Comprehensive B2B: Alibaba International, Globalsources, Made in China, EC21, Tradevv, Tradekey, ECVV, Ecplaza.
Local B2B: such as India, Turkey, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, etc. Vote for one or two paid integrated B2B platforms and sign up for more free B2Bs. Explore tips for posting information as a free member to get buyers to search for information, for inquiries and orders, and post freely in some forums.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
I divide it into two parts: one part is how to make the site open quickly, in addition to the basic content, and how to make the customer feel comfortable and satisfied when browsing the site. One part is to hire a professional website optimization company to do some procedural work on the website, so that the website is more in line with the search engine's preferences and easier to be searched. It is search engine optimization (SEO), google multi keyword optimization, search engine optimization (SEO) will be slower, usually need 4~6 months.
3. Search Engine Bidding Ads (SEM)
Paid shopping is a foreign trade promotion mode chosen by many companies.SEO itself can bring traffic and keywords are limited. Using paid advertising to expand traffic is a good complement to SEO. Fast results, high target coverage, targeted, product promotion, flexible form, cost control, high return on investment.
4. Email promotion (EDM)
Study the interests of customers, and then according to the data and information collected to push each email well, not to become spam. Try not to send mass messages. Quietly offer to send them one-on-one if you're not time-anxious. The subject and content should be purposeful, the subject should be to the point, and the content should be concise.
5. Social media promotion (SNS)
Mobile devices have a huge potential for growth with increasing traffic. While it may be less than PCs, it is the fastest growing source of traffic to e-commerce sites. Data shows that 30% of total traffic to ecommerce sites comes from iPads, 35% from iPhones, and the rest is spread across dozens of different Android smartphones and tablets. So when we start optimizing traffic from mobile devices to e-commerce sites, we can prioritize Apple iOS.
1. Facebook: This is an American online social networking service website. Data shows that Facebook has 1.65 billion monthly active users and sends out up to 12 billion messages per day.
2. Twitte: This is an online social networking service and microblogging service website in the U.S. Twitter has 410 million monthly active users and sends out more than 500 million microblogs every day. The influence of Twitter is not small, even the U.S. President Trump did not fill in the tweets. But there are not many people in the country to make good use of these social networking sites according to the habits of customers.
3. linkedIn: This is a professional social networking site in the U.S. linkedIn has more than 400 million users in more than 200 countries and regions. This site does not need to turn over the wall. Chinese people use a lot. They can directly find the person in charge and see each other's position and experience. There is a little trick to set your homepage language into English. Use good keywords, such as "#steel", then people on Linkedin will see your post when they search for "steel".
4. Pinterest: The world's largest social sharing site for images, Pinterest allows users to create and manage themed collections of images, such as events, interests, and hobbies. This site is one of the few in the country, but it works well when used.
5. YouTuBe: is currently the world's largest video site. For SNS promotion, the YouTube platform is a big gold mine. 14 billion video views per week on YouTube. The communication effect of video is five times more than that of pictures.In the 5G era, the importance of video will become even more important, and the communication of video will also see exponential growth. It is a good choice to do short videos to promote your company and products.
From the platform diversion to the independent station: the traffic of the platform, through customer service guidance, customer search keywords, shipping with a card and other ways to precipitate the traffic to the independent station. This is more critical for small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises to create private domain traffic.
To do a good job in foreign trade, first of all, we need to know the product knowledge thoroughly. Then it is the foreign language to pass, at least to communicate with foreigners up, like calling and writing emails without obstacles, and to understand the international trade process, and then how to find the target customers more efficiently.
This is more important to find customers, find intentional customers then half of the success, the rest is how to convince customers to order. How to find customers, first of all, we must search online, using online platforms, such as Alibaba, Facebook, Collingwood, Google, etc. to discover potential customers, and then preliminary communication. After the target is locked, you can first send over samples, so that customers more intuitive understanding of product performance and quality. Customers expressed interest, in order to show sincerity, you can go to the field visit, of course, you can also invite customers to visit the factory and so on. Since two to two, communication in place, basically the order is done. The rest of the thing is to prepare the shipment and so on step by step or to follow the single processing on the good.
There are two main channels to get foreign trade orders, within the industry or outside the industry. For example, mechanical equipment and other more specialized equipment or products generally through industry exhibitions. In addition to the domestic industry international exhibition can also participate in overseas exhibitions. The main participation in overseas exhibitions is subsidized by the national "Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Overseas Expansion Fund", coastal areas by the local financial expenditures of not less than 50% of the booth fee, not more than 18,000 yuan, Shanghai and district financial subsidies. Midwest and poor areas by the state financial expenditure of not less than 70% As for some low-end products such as hardware, clothing and so on only to go to the Canton Fair and other comprehensive exhibition. Of course, online sales are also available, Ali overseas version of the foreigners to see a lot of people, but the large amount of transactions are generally offline.
The foreign trade industry is the need to precipitate, so enter a promising company, maintain a good and diligent learning mentality, meet a group of good colleagues and leadership is very important. However, today we do not talk about external factors, let's talk about internal factors, after all, the external factors we are difficult to control, but they are able to do a good job of their own.
The main channels to get orders are as follows:
First, the foreign trade independent station:
The traditional foreign trade factories, like to publish product information on B2B platforms so as to look for customers, but more and more for the platform rules, the control of the flow is also very strict. At this time, we need to do their own foreign trade independent station, through Google seo optimization, to pick up foreign trade orders.
Second, sem advertising:
By cooperating with seo, we make corresponding sem advertising plan. This way we can quickly get foreign trade orders, just so we must also have a certain amount of money, do a good job of putting the plan.
Third, the advertising alliance:
How do you think the cost of sem advertising is too large, you can use some other advertising channels. For example, go to the industry's more famous blogs, forums, these advertising position costs relatively less, the conversion rate is also good.
Fourth, offline exhibitions:
Every year at home and abroad, there are a large number of various types of information exhibitions, building materials exhibitions, etc., we can go to selective selection, some of the good quality of the exhibition to participate. For the exhibition, that is a good time to receive foreign trade orders, but also will be the brand outside the opportunity to promote.
Fifth, the use of free customs data:
Sixth, through the social network:
Foreigners are more often play social networking sites, and many trading companies are also looking for foreigners on the above; for the factory foreign trade salesman, the use of it to find customers is very effective. Methods: Combination of keyword search, join the group, have the skills to send product promotion information; observation of screening, the group to add people, interactive chat, negotiate cooperation.
Seven, customers (friends) introduced orders
Introduced by friends around the circle of resources, to understand the surrounding friends who are doing trade-related work through them, humbly ask for advice, you can recognize the missing customers, if there is no relevant industry friends, some foreign trade forums to go to some of the trade friends, to their own ability to answer some of the professional questions, so that more people Recognize you.
Eight, B2B website
B2B website, you enter the industry, you will naturally hear such as a large platform, which belongs to the full range of B2B platforms, as well as vertical areas like BuildMost platforms, focusing on home building materials export.
B2B platforms have the advantage of bringing together business users, so if you're good at digging, you won't be short of inquiries and customer information. If you don't have a budget, try to take the time to soak up the free platforms, if you have a budget, please understand and then put in the budget, after all, this thing is often in the unprepared people.
Doing foreign trade, there is a good product, a good supplier, than how to develop foreign customers is more important!
Why? There are several reasons
How to do it
Now the overall slowdown in foreign trade exports, most of the industry's export volume is not much growth, but there are still a small number of industries in the growth.
You have to choose the industry should be still growing, to do this industry's foreign trade success rate is higher
How to find it?
(a) Look at the data. You can go to the National Bureau of Statistics to see the data, you can also Baidu a variety of data, Alibaba 6 months on the goods data can also be used as a reference
(B) to find peers to ask
A good supplier can provide free product images, and even free Alibaba international platform
If you rely on their own to get the words, or a very big deal, the light platform is 29,800 annual fee, so a good supplier is very important to you. So meet a good supplier is very reliable,
Not all products are good to do, there are products with a gross profit of 0.7 or more, some only 0.2.
Some products are very transparent prices, some raw materials, unless there is an absolute price advantage, or it is difficult to get an order
There are products, very personalized, such as toys, each of which has its own unique style, the toys, the toys, the toys, the toys, the toys, the toys, the toys, the toys, the toys, the toys, the toys, the toys, the toys, the toys and the toys. Toys style, its uniqueness is very obvious, guests fancy words, because there is no place to compare prices, so you can quote a high price, so the product is better to do
Above the preparatory work is good, you need to find a good platform to develop customers.
Many people say that there are many channels to develop customers, such as Ali, Global Sources, FB, Collingwood, Google, customs data ...... I would like to say that you are generalized, because your resources are limited, your energy is limited, so your focus can only engage in one or two channels on it, engage in a good chance of higher
to summarize what channels to develop a more unreliable
On foreign trade For the search engine (SEM) is the pit, need to be careful, if you have to do, it would be better to do the bidding on the foreign trade platform, so that the traffic experience 2 screening (a search engine to the foreign trade platform, a takeaway platform bidding), more accurate, the intention is very high, the search engine optimization (SEO), the SEO for foreign trade platforms, there are resources, you can do it, if you do not have the time and energy it is best not to do it.
The back to share with which methods to get more inquiries
See you this problem, how to quickly get foreign trade orders? Truth to tell you, the foreign trade industry you have to learn to persevere, patience, loneliness, want to earn money quickly, the foreign trade industry is now not the industry to earn quick money.
Talk about a few suggestions
1. Want to do foreign trade, the first thing to have a good product. Whether you do traditional B2B foreign trade, or do now more popular cross-border e-commerce, a good product is the first step in your good foreign trade. If you are a factory, then the second word, is to do the factory's own products. Product selection is for trading companies and SOHO. Do what you are interested in, familiar with the product.
2. Familiarize yourself with the development of customer channels. Foreign trade development of customers is the main channels of exhibitions and paid B2B sites, Alibaba, Made in China, Global Trade and so on. Personally, I suggest that if you do B2B website, or do Alibaba, although the effect is not good, but also better than other effects. Then there is the free Google search, if you have the ability to participate in foreign exhibitions, or set up a representative office in foreign countries. But these are high cost and low return for the trade companies and SOHO that are just starting out.