General

Many new foreign trade professionals have sent me private messages asking me about "customs data", and the most common question is: Is the data useful? The same tool is considered useful by those who can use it, while those who cannot use it consider it a waste of money. The same goes for customs data stored here. So I think before judging its usefulness, one should reflect on whether one has used it correctly or not?

I used to use customs data intermittently for 4 years, but when I first started using it, like many newcomers, I only looked at my email, sent development letters, and received replies, with little effect. But soon I realized that there was definitely a problem with this usage, and I began to work hard to change my mindset before slowly gaining orders from it. Below are my 7 usage tips that should help everyone gain a deeper understanding and use them correctly:

1. Through customs data, real buyers who have a demand for their own products can be obtained through keyword one click search. It has to be said that it is faster and faster than any other development method.

2. Customs data can be used to analyze these buyers, analyzing their procurement volume, procurement cycle, product specifications, etc., to see if they match their own supply capacity. Focusing on developing relatively matched buyers can save time and improve success rates.

3. Don't just use the contact information for customs data. First, filter out the freight forwarder, and then use the email verification tool to verify whether this email is available and reachable. Because some email addresses may have been cancelled, it can prevent you from doing useless work.

4. Combine customs data with Google search and foreign social media platforms for use. You can search for the company names of the selected buyers that match well on Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn to find more contact information and enterprise related information, which can help improve the success rate of development letters.

5. The export data of competitors in the same industry can be seen in customs data, and they can be monitored. Every year, there are closed foreign trade enterprises or factories that can seize the opportunity to enter and receive their customers, with a high success rate. In 2016, I developed three new clients through this method.

6. If you have a long-standing customer who has been cooperating with you, you can also use data to monitor it, and you will find that you can see how much goods they have purchased from others, what the purchase price is, specifications, packaging, and so on. As long as you analyze it carefully, you can find some breakthroughs and make him actively add orders.

7. Customs data can also be used to develop new markets. As hot as the current trade war, if we used to focus on the US market, we now need to consider exploring a different market. You can use data to query and compare which country has the highest import volume of your products. To switch to a new market, everything needs to start from scratch, and customs data can quickly help you find buyers in the new market, which is very useful.

Mastering the correct usage of customs data can help everyone fully utilize the data. However, if the data you receive is not accurate or timely, it can also affect its effectiveness. Therefore, when purchasing data, it is important to carefully consider it.