First, a common foreign trade B2B platform allows customers to find you actively. A: Ancient song B: Li Baba International Station C: China Zhizao. Com (you should know).
Years ago, we were all VIP customers of these platforms, and we received many inquiries from all over the world every day. Have you ever thought about a question? When you receive such an inquiry, your peers are also VIP customers of this platform. Can they receive it, too? The answer is beyond doubt! As salespeople, we certainly hope that customers' inquiries will be received by other colleagues as little as possible. This is human nature and does not accept refutation. But how can resources be enjoyed only by you? Everyone is a paid VIP!
These platforms are divided into packages according to the payment amount. From a few thousand dollars cheap to tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars high, members have it. If you receive an inquiry from 10 or more sellers at the same time in China. Then the chances that you can get this order are very small. On the one hand, the cost is too high, on the other hand, the quality is not high. Personally, I think this investment is of little significance. Of course, is there any money owner who is not bad? Let's all do it. These three B2B platforms are all very good! So after several years of cooperation, we stopped investing in the three platforms.
Second: exhibition
Every year around the world, there are several important exhibitions for the products your company wants to sell, and foreign trade sales personnel must master: the time, place, nature and scale of the exhibitions! It's easy to know these mothers! Print it! Of course, internet cafes will refute me, and the exhibition fee is not cheap! You're right. If I make a choice among the above three platforms and exhibitions at the same investment cost, I will definitely choose the exhibition, no doubt. Because this is the most direct and easy to produce results.
What is the most important thing in sales? It is communication, how to build mutual trust. Across thousands of kilometers, with the help of the internet, we can't ask the other party to transfer money to your account, nor can we be sure that the other party will produce or deliver the goods first. The exhibition provides an opportunity for both sides to communicate face to face. It is reasonable for us in China to pay attention to tradition, and it is also reasonable to meet. Through face-to-face communication, we can probably capture a lot of important information. There is a word in English called feel, you know.
During the exhibition, our company's practice is to provide a seat in the booth, where guests can sit down and drink coffee, snacks, water, fruits and small gifts with company logo, such as notebooks, pens and so on. The point is to prepare a bigger notebook. When each guest stops in front of your booth, he will record what he consulted, what his problem is, whether he made an inquiry on the spot and where his interests are.
During the exhibition, if there are potential guests you think are important, I will usually ask them about their hotel and tell them that I also live nearby. Can we have a simple meal together tonight? If it is successful, maybe the price will be 100 USD/Euro. (Foreign businessmen won't come to a big table in China, and white wine, red wine and beer will appear one after another, so it's the first time to rest assured.). If you can have a chance to have dinner with them and deepen your impression, at this time, I tell you that you have succeeded by one third! Bar experts will say, what if the other party cheats to eat and drink? Less than 100 yuan, all adults, if they are not interested at all, will they spend an hour or two eating you and then talk to you about some business and products? Maybe this will happen, but I still have to choose to trust him! Why not spend tens of dollars more than flying thousands of kilometers to attend the exhibition?
During the exhibition, you may bring samples, and potential customers can stay in your booth for half an hour and sit down and communicate with you. For small samples, tell him to take them away before coming to the booth after the exhibition, or send them to their company by courier according to the business card address after the exhibition (there is this service at the exhibition site, don't worry), which also solves the problem of bringing them back to China after the exhibition.
Here comes the dry goods! ! Don't forget your brothers at this time! Take a photo, take a photo, take a photo, and say the important things three times! Why? He is in the whole exhibition center, and there are more than a dozen exhibition vendors taking photos with him, more than 20! After the exhibition, dozens of people contacted by email and became friends! But, but, when sending an email, the only person who can send the photos to him together may be only you, only you, only you! ! Deepen the impression and do the details! The name of your company and your name will have a deep impression in his mind. Why not spend the same money?
The role of taking pictures, if you think it is just such a purpose, then you are too low. You are either a newcomer or a bird who has just entered the foreign trade workplace! If this customer is a company in Dubai, because at the exhibition site, different B and C companies from Dubai may have given you business cards and seen your booth. After returning home, they may ask a question in the following emails and social software exchanges. Do you have any partners in Dubai? Is there an agent? Tell the truth, don't exaggerate, but your statement can be improved a little. I'm not teaching you to be bad! You can answer this question: We have an A company in Dubai talking about sole agency. It's going well and both sides are very interested. It is estimated that an understanding will be reached soon. At this time, the photos should play a role. Send them to Company B and Company C. Don't worry, Company BC will confirm with Company A unless it is full and has nothing to do! It doesn't matter even if they know each other in a small probability. Maybe in your daily work, you and A really talked about agency!
The role of photos is not over yet! Foreign trade personnel should feel this way. When the email is sent out, there is a great chance that the guest will not reply to you, usually for a month or several months. At this time, photos can still play a role. Send it occasionally to remind customers that you met at the exhibition! Hope to receive your inquiry! Serve them. Third, deepen the impression. On the premise that they are really interested in ordering from the latter, and your price and technical parameters are in line, our opportunity will come!
So the role of the exhibition is over? No, after the exhibition, I will reserve a few days for myself and my team. On the one hand, this is a difficult time and an opportunity for the League building. I will show you around and enjoy the local food, attractions and important things: what are the attractions for? Take a photo, take a photo, take a photo, and take a photo. Please look at the words above to remind us to close the distance. The next time you meet an inquiry from a customer in the country where the exhibition is held, you can tell the customer that we often visit our partners in your city. Maybe you don't, but who cares? You have photos to prove it. Did you get it? It's not that simple to let you visit. In addition to the scenic spots, there is another place you must go, that is, bookstore, bookstore! You may ask, why did you go to the bookstore? Do you love studying so much? I told you to go to the bookstore and bring something back to China! Yellow pages! Yellow pages! Yellow pages! Yellow pages, in any industry, have related departments or companies to compile yellow pages of the same industry, which contain many advertisements, telephone numbers, addresses and websites registered in the same industry. Is it important for readers?
In 2008, when I went to Egypt, there was a yellow page in the drawer of the hotel, and there were just a few pages about our products. I was very unkind to tear it down and bring it back to China. It is not recommended. After returning to China, I contacted many times and actually made a deal. I also insisted on cooperation for two years. The transaction amount is only about100000 USD. Not much. Is it exciting? A sense of accomplishment? So the yellow pages are very important. Buy two! This is far more important than those bulky sample catalogs you collected in the conference center, because many sample catalogs sell products just like you! Of course, some sellers are also owners who buy products!
Ok, the exhibition is over. Many foreign trade newcomers or birds will have questions. B2B platforms and exhibitions are still expensive, and the boss will not invest. We are a small company. What shall we do? Don't worry, how can we find customers without spending money? Please see below!
The third point: customs data
As an old bird in the foreign trade circle, I have always been curious about why customs data are allowed to be sold publicly. Aren't these data trade secrets? Why are so many data companies openly hawking and clearly priced? In fact, some people are selling and some people are buying! I started using customs data from 20 10, which is expensive. At the beginning, it was a membership ID of tens of thousands of dollars. Now I estimate that a few thousand dollars is enough. Customs data can let you know your peers, their buyers, the types of products sold, which port is delivered and which port is delivered, and the quantity is clear at a glance. Do you understand what I mean? There are also the names of foreign buyers! ! It is so cruel that the cruelty of competition comes. With the name of the company, it is certain that this guest is the buyer. What to do next, understand? You don't need to teach. Skeleton (the homonym of the website) is available as soon as it is queried. Simply put, your peers tell you who their partners are. Is it hard enough? Is it awesome enough? Is that enough? Most customs data are sold only in a certain region, such as customer data in North America and customer data in the Middle East. Readers can make their own decisions according to their own products and the development orientation of the company.
I don't talk about website promotion and self-built website SEO search engine promotion here, because these are not bad money webmasters, and those who have questions are newcomers.
The fourth point: the use of social media software
At present, at least my 10 query this month comes from the use of social software, such as LinkedIn, FB, G+, Instant RAM,&; , especially Instangram, this software, I only share dry goods, the real operation mode for everyone:
1: upload videos and photos regularly every day, such as those sent by the factory. Description: Today, another batch of goods arrived in Dubai from Ningbo seaport!
2. Under normal circumstances, someone will like you and give you a compliment. Remember to reply in time, thank the other person for his compliment, ask the other person what products they make, send your email address and pictures of the company's main products, and ask for the other person's email address.
You don't spend money, and you don't want to bother. There are so many good things there, don't be afraid of trouble. In fact, we receive such inquiries every week!
Fifth, I want to thank several websites. Again, I'm not a nurse, and I don't have any advertising fees. But I want to mention a few websites that have really helped us a lot in the process of foreign trade sales. I hope newcomers can visit these websites more:
1: Fubu Foreign Trade Forum (www.fobshanghai.com, I haven't opened it for a long time. In the early days, I learned a lot of foreign trade knowledge on it. All the foreign trade problems I encountered were posted by my peers, which benefited me a lot. I don't know why it won't open. )
2. Another website must be praised! A hundred praises are not enough! That's the Dragon Guide: www.dragon-guide.net, a large number of markets divided by customer regions,
3. There is also a foreign trade search website, of course, it is paid, but I don't want to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars when I think about it. There is really no way. This website can replace customs data in a sense! Similar to the role of customs data!
Again, the fifth point, I really don't want to add, but it is really helpful for newcomers. I have a lot of basic knowledge of foreign trade, which is fast and low cost, but I am still suspected of advertising and parenting. Again, absolutely not. You can confirm it!
In addition, for example, other methods: register with GG map, search engine and free B2B website. There is really nothing to do. Try it, because it is a free lunch? Okay？ Is it very useful? Each has his own opinion. I firmly believe that all good things have to be paid! It is not free!
Foreign trade, only by loving this industry deeply, can we devote ourselves wholeheartedly, go all out, find our own way and stick to it. Of course, it will also bring you the pleasure of wealth appreciation! Here, I wish readers, through the road of foreign trade, realize financial freedom at an early date! The cow's life hangs in the balance!