Ask Alibaba's foreign trade salesman in China.

I have been engaged in international trade for five years, first I stayed in school to teach for one year, then I owned a large state-owned foreign trade company, and then I went to foreign banks to do trade financing. Then there are foreign purchasing companies. At that time, I met many colleagues, many of whom were well known. I started a small company not long ago. Seeing a novice at this level, I can't help feeling that trade is not a continuous learning process for anyone.

I want to share with you the view of foreign trade salesman from the buyer's point of view. I hope it will help you and introduce myself.

Where does the buyer's order come from? Where to send it?

Buyers usually get procurement tasks from headquarters or subsidiaries of host countries.

We, as well as other colleagues, usually call the most familiar suppliers to get some information. Send an inquiry to familiar suppliers, then spread the factory in the supplier list database above the exhibition, and then spread the purchasing information on the foreign trade website.

After getting the offer from China, reply to the company headquarters. Under normal circumstances, there are many procurement tasks from headquarters, which may not be completed. Therefore, foreign trade personnel had better do two things.

The first is a very quick reply. The timely and effective response of the purchasing department to the headquarters is a very important assessment index. For example, the daily necessities list of 20 projects will generally be completed within 3 days. Later quotations can only be put in the folder. So speed is the first key.

The second is a complete reply. This requires quotation salesmen to know their products very well. Frequently purchased information is incomplete, so it is best for salespeople to rely on their own product knowledge and have a complete introduction to the products in the mail. At the same time, you should include your own factory information (name, address, number of factories, number of technicians, main products, output, sales volume, foreign trade rights, etc.). ), other information about the product, including similar product recommendations, or other possible choices for the buyer. There are also business information, including delivery date, minimum order quantity, packaging, port, payment method and so on. This is very helpful to facilitate the final transaction. It is important to introduce it in several parts in the first email.

I once received a fax or email with only one or two sentences on it. There is only one price on it. In my opinion, such a reply will give me a few impressions.

1: The respondents are trading companies or individuals. When they see the inquiry, they will inquire about the price and add the profit before making an offer.

2. Respondents are not very familiar with the business, and many links may take a lot of time to communicate with each other.

Doing business with such a company will always rush the factory like squeezing toothpaste, which is very energy-consuming.

The content of the reply is complete, but it needs to be concise. Don't move out of the factory's entrepreneurial history, and don't put up slogans and slogans.

The buyer's difficulties, and what should I do if I hear from them?

Buyers and foreign trade salesmen have their own difficulties. First, they need to find qualified suppliers. If there are various problems in the subsequent business, it will be traced back to the process of selecting suppliers. Therefore, it is very important for powerful suppliers to show their strength. Of course, false words can only be identified by the buyer himself.

Price is another issue. The target price of purchasing is usually very low. Therefore, it is difficult to make a deal in one communication. Many orders come down to price. Headquarters also needs time to judge.

The main content that purchasing execution faces every day is the headquarters, as well as the orders being executed. Therefore, for suppliers in the inquiry stage, there is not much time to take the initiative to call. E-mail is also neglected to reply. This kind of thing often happens. Suppliers need not be discouraged. Here are two points for your reference.

1。 Make a realistic quotation, otherwise it will not be on the contact list confirmed by the headquarters, and strive to be complete, as mentioned above. Both foreign employees and China employees like this sentence.

2。 Active contact is very important. Purchasing staff are human and lazy. I always hope that enthusiastic suppliers can take the initiative to contact and provide new information to save their time. Of course, we should pay attention to the ways and means of contact.

It is common for suppliers to have problems in the process of purchasing execution. In this case, the buyer will consider other suppliers. That's why some customers reappeared after a year and a half. For a foreign trader, it is a good habit to keep a minimum contact. The difficulty of this habit is that it has no effect for several months and half a year. From this point of view, you must admire the accumulation of some old salesmen of foreign trade companies for more than ten years. Their knowledge of foreign languages and products may not be as good as that of some college students, but the accumulation of customers for more than ten years is indeed a huge asset.

Why p/I?

In order to show his great efficiency, he often faxes p/i to the headquarters within one or two days after receiving the procurement task. Suppliers must not have fun by themselves. At this point, the main nature of P/I is the supplier's unilateral sales commitment. The right to choose whether to implement it is in the hands of the buyer. For an order, buyers often fax more than two P/I from different factories.

Another advantage is that after the P/I is issued, the factory often thinks that the purchaser is sincere, or thinks that the transaction is very likely. After a few days, the buyer can go back and ask the supplier to make some changes to P/I ... generally including payment terms, free spare parts or some discounts. At this stage, I personally think it is easier to achieve the goal than asking suppliers from the beginning. This is usually our practice.

Should I send samples?

This is a headache for the factory! People ask for samples almost every week? I can't send it every time, and most of them sink into the sea. From the buyer's point of view, I would like to share with you my feelings in this regard.

1: sample fee. Personally, I suggest that the factory take the initiative to raise the issue of sample fee. In fact, buyers are spoiled. The more likely the transaction is, the less stingy the buyer will be with the sample fee. However, the reality is that most factories in China produce the same product. If you don't promise, naturally others promise to be free. So I suggest spending some time to study how unique my product is. For products that basically have no own characteristics, the competition is fierce, and you are eager to order, so you have to send them for free. If the buyer faces the same factory, the products are almost the same, some are free and some insist on charging, isn't that an idiot?

2. Speed, whether it is charged or free, speed is the key. In this way, the buyer can judge two facts. First, whether the supplier is a real manufacturer or a trading company should send samples first. Second, is this product produced by a supplier, or is it only productive? These two facts are reflected in the speed of sample mailing. So I suggest that if it is difficult to arrange samples for small foreign trade companies or individuals, don't send samples for free easily. According to our experience, the final supplier can often inform us of the express delivery number within 1 to 2 days after confirming the sample.