General

Customs data is definitely a "treasure trove" function for foreign traders.

It collects detailed trade data from real exporters and importers in various countries. It is not only the best foreign trade intelligence expert for analyzing industries, investigating markets, and understanding competitors, but also a necessary tool for us to develop high-quality customers.

However, many people use customs data to directly search for customers by product, find contact information, and directly send emails. As a result, many development letters have been sent, but few responses have been received. If you use customs data to develop customers in this way, it can only indicate luck if you can develop them, and it is normal if you cannot.

How on earth should foreign traders correctly use customs data to truly "dig gold"?

1. Selection of purchasers

The number of buyers in customs data is quite large in most industries. Although the number is large, not every one is suitable for your customers, and the one that is suitable for you is the best.

First of all, it is important to confirm whether the customer is a professional buyer, otherwise a lot of useless work will be done.

By comparing the number of times a purchaser purchases related products and the number of times all products are operated, it is possible to directly confirm the professionalism of customers. Some customers have purchased your products, but only one of the hundreds or thousands of transactions they have purchased. These companies are mainly freight forwarders and traders, and can be directly screened out without wasting time.

2. Analysis of purchasers

After preliminary screening and finding a professional buyer, it is important to analyze the customer's purchasing habits and determine whether they match based on the quantity and weight of each purchase. Some customers who are too large cannot accept, while others who are too small do not want to do so. The appropriate one is the best. Judging customers' preferences for products by which regions they have previously purchased from, from customers who have been purchasing from Europe to customers who have been purchasing from India, can also be helpful in understanding whether customers care about quality or price. Based on the analysis of the customer's purchase time, it is possible to determine the time when the customer's next purchase may occur. Some customers purchase in the second half of each year, while others purchase every month. Different customers will definitely have different contact times. Finding the right time to contact will also increase the probability of customer response.

3. Peer Competitors

For matching buyers who have already been analyzed, it is important to pay attention to their existing suppliers. It is best to do some homework on the products and prices of existing suppliers before contacting the buyers to find out where they have advantages. Otherwise, why should someone give up their original supplier and cooperate with you? The quality of the product should be matched, and the price should not be softened. Another point is to start from competitors and find competitors with comparable strength in the market, especially peers with higher prices and similar quality, or peers with lower quality and similar prices than you. Because of their comparable strength, you can definitely do the same for customers that peers can do, eliminating the previous screening process. Therefore, old salespeople will have more advantages and learn more about the industry.

At the same time, it is also possible to focus on buyers who have been lost or newly added to their peers.

4. Deeply mine contacts

The contact information included in the customs data is of the highest quality in India, with a relatively large number of procurement directors. They have names and email addresses that can be used directly. In addition, some customers fill in their own phone numbers and email addresses, but the quantity is relatively small and there is almost no contact information.

5. Multiple communication methods in parallel

At present, many domestic foreign trade salespeople still stay at the stage of developing customers using only email development letters, and they need to learn to use various social media and timely chat apps and other communication methods.

If you receive a promotional email, it's likely that you won't respond, but if someone adds you to WeChat and greets you, our probability of responding will be much higher. There are WeChat and global phone calls in China, and Whatsapp, Line, Viber, VK, Messenger, and others abroad.

Of course, when there is a customer's phone number, it would have been more efficient to make phone calls directly from the global phone.

6. Combining existing foreign trade development methods

Whether it's an exhibition or a B2B platform, if customers come to look for them, you can also query whether there are transaction records through data. If so, how is the previous purchase situation and price? After formulating appropriate pricing strategies, continue to communicate with customers, so as to know yourself and the other!

Currently, there has always been information asymmetry in international trade. Foreign customers know a lot about us, and we know too little about foreign buyers. Customs data can make market information more transparent!

7. Finally, professionalism and diligence

In sales, no matter what channels are used, diligence is the cornerstone of performance! Don't be afraid of customers' rejection, sales are originally a game of zero savings and lump-sum withdrawal! There will be gains if there is effort!

The professionalism of the product is also essential. If you are not professional, you can't handle even the best customers!