General

Receiving inquiries from foreign trade is an ecstatic experience for foreign traders. However, perhaps some people are facing the dilemma of not knowing how to reply to inquiry emails; After many inquiries were answered, there was no news of it.

Why couldn't the inquiry be converted into an order? Is it because these inquiries are not accurate? Or is our response not precise enough to impress customers to place orders? Let's take a look together.

1、 Analyze buyer types

After receiving a foreign trade inquiry, we first need to analyze the type of buyer and find the right solution to the situation, in order to effectively improve the conversion of inquiries and achieve more orders.

1. Clarify the purpose type

This type of customer is truly in need, which can be seen from the content they ask. If they ask more specific questions, such as product style, color, function, packaging, certification, specific parameters, delivery time, order quantity, etc., it can be seen that this type of customer has a high level of sincerity.

2. Potential customer type

There are several situations for potential customers:

① Some customers have suppliers and want to add more suppliers, or if they are unhappy with working with the original supplier and want to switch suppliers, they send inquiries to find suitable suppliers.

② Some customers have previously imported goods from other markets and have heard that Chinese goods are high-quality and affordable, so they have made inquiries to understand the prices and other information of the goods.

③ Some customers may not have orders on hand at the moment, but they need to know the market situation in advance in case of emergency.

④ Some customers are big sellers in their own countries and need to find a good OEM factory in China to do original equipment manufacturer, so they send an inquiry to know about it.

⑤ Some distributors make a lot of products and understand what products they see to make money, so they make inquiries to collect some desired products.

3. No clear target type

Some buyers are new to the industry and do not know what products are easy to produce in China. Therefore, they make inquiries and collect extensive information, all they need is product prices, pictures, etc.

4. Invalid type

① Some customers don't really want to do business, they just want to get one or two free samples.

② Some of them seem to want to do business with you under the guise of an inquiry, but in reality, they are deceiving you to help them handle the invitation letter.

③ Some inquiries lead you to log in to a certain website, with the goal of scamming your account, etc.

2、 Efficient response to foreign trade inquiries

Firstly, after receiving the inquiry, it is necessary to carefully read it several times to understand and read the content clearly, and not spend time on invalid inquiries. For effective inquiries, search for customer company information through the information left by the customer to understand the customer, and then make corresponding responses.

So, what exactly should we do?

1. Adjust your mindset

Many friends who are engaged in foreign trade may make the following mistakes when there are many inquiries:

① I am too busy with work and haven't replied in a timely manner. I think it's okay to delay for a few days as there are many inquiries now.

② In the case of multiple inquiries, it is not important to quote a little more when quoting, after all, it is oneself who will suffer if the quotation is missing, and if the quotation is too much, one can still negotiate.

Be careful not to encounter such situations. When we receive foreign trade inquiries, we must pay attention to the timeliness of our responses. After all, the current foreign trade competition has been in a state of intense competition, and slow responses may lead to competitors taking the lead. Paying attention to timeliness is a key step for us to seize business opportunities. But due to the time difference between us and our clients, we may not be able to respond to some inquiries in a timely manner. However, when we see it, we need to analyze and think first, and then reply to the customer's inquiry as soon as possible. In addition, we should truly treat customers of all sizes, new and old customers, as well as customers from far and near equally. Don't be too clever to bid high prices. Customers are not just looking for you. Once they are disliked by customers, not only will they lose some opportunities, but they may also be blacklisted.

2. Prepare well

① Price: FOB, CIF, and other prices.

② Quantity: What kind of quantity can be provided at what time.

③ Quality: What kind of quality assurance can be achieved, and the measures taken during the production process.

④ Packaging: Inform customers one by one about the type of packaging and how much can be packed.

⑤ Pictures: There are pictures of various products available.

⑥ Samples: There should be various samples that can be sent immediately.

3. Effective communication

① In language communication, some skills need to be developed.

② In cases where the other party does not respond, it is important to proactively respond.

③ And try to use multiple methods as much as possible, such as email, phone, fax, etc.

④ And use our or the other party's holidays, local relocation, major events, and other situations to proactively communicate to bring us closer.

The purpose and needs of each customer who issues foreign trade inquiries are not the same. To improve the inquiry conversion rate and make inquiries into orders, foreign trade personnel need to understand the analysis of customer types and make corresponding responses for different types of customers in order to effectively improve inquiry conversion and achieve more orders.