General

The first step is to determine the target market and screen customers

Customs data is complex, so this step is essential. It is recommended to use the latest data. If there is no latest data, the deadline should not exceed 2 years, as the authenticity of the data will be greatly reduced if it exceeds 2 years. When screening, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the customer's purchased products, quantity, price, etc., and further analyze the average price of the products in the target market, as well as the customer's economic situation and potential.

Step 2: Search for the customer's company contact information

You can use Google search to enter a combination of "company name+contact name or email" to find more information that is beneficial for development and follow-up. Decision maker mining tools can also be used to mine more customer related information through known company names, website addresses, or emails.

By taking the above two steps, you can obtain the main information of the target customer. Then, just send a development letter and continue to follow up with the customer. Although everyone obtains target customers through this method, the results are uneven. Most foreign trade professionals have sent hundreds of development letters, but there are few responses. After all, the contact information left by customs is usually the contact information of third-party freight forwarding companies, so we need to find breakthroughs from other places. You can start from the following points:

1. The contact name in customs data should not be ignored, as this person must be genuine. You can use LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, etc. to search for a name, and as long as he is active online, he will definitely be able to search for other contact information. There must be some of these contact information that he has been using recently.

2. Learn to use customs data analysis to screen target customers. For example, analyze his purchase volume, purchase price, purchase cycle, supplier country, etc. to determine if he is a good match for himself. If his purchasing price has always been very low and he cannot make that price himself, then the customer can put it aside for now. After selecting the target customers, go to their website to study their needs, procurement preferences, and write targeted development letters.

3. You can also use data to check competitors and see which countries and companies they export to; With so many foreign trade factories closing down now, we can take over their customers. In 2014, a friend used this method to poach three customers from former competitors, and they are still working intermittently until now.

4. Generally, there is a phone number in the data, which is a mandatory use for the purchaser's bill of lading and must be genuine. If you have good spoken English, you can call directly. Before making a phone call, it is best to have some understanding of this purchaser and make some preparations. You can analyze the buyer's business background, import and export situation in previous years through customs data, and also visit their website for detailed information.

5. When choosing a customs data service company, it is important to compare it more because the channels are different, and some companies may have inaccurate and incomplete data.