General

Many small factories and small processing plants engaged in foreign trade do not know how to receive foreign trade orders except for the traditional Marketing channel. To address this issue, let me share my thoughts here.

Small factories can obtain foreign trade orders through the following 7 methods:

1. Register some foreign trade B2B platforms, release products, and wait for customer inquiries

There are too many B2B platforms for foreign trade, so you can compare multiple options and choose one that pays to settle in. The entry fee is not expensive, and small factories can fully afford it. Factories can hire a dedicated operator to package their products comprehensively, upload and publish them on the platform in the form of text descriptions and images. By thoroughly understanding the platform's ranking techniques, customer search behavior, and search keywords, and persistently updating and maintaining them, we can definitely increase the exposure of our products and obtain active inquiries from foreign customers.

2. Collaborate with foreign trade companies and obtain foreign trade orders

If your product has quality advantages and timely delivery can be guaranteed, you can cooperate with a foreign trade company. You are worrying about finding customers, while foreign trade companies are worrying about finding suppliers. As long as the needs of both parties match, cooperation can be reached.

3. Undertake outsourcing orders from some large factories

In reality, there are some large factories with a large number of foreign trade orders and a large order volume. They cannot complete the delivery time solely based on their own production capacity. They often outsource some of their production, which is the opportunity for many small factories to survive. To collaborate with a large factory, first of all, you need to connect with people, and secondly, you need to have strong production capabilities. So, in addition to survival, small factories also need to invest some funds to enhance their comprehensive strength.

4. Utilize customs data and directly seek foreign buyers to obtain foreign trade orders

Although collaborating with foreign trade companies and large factories can lead to some orders, they are still resale orders with low profit margins. To obtain high profit orders, it is natural to have direct contact with foreign buyers. Customs data is the fastest way to obtain foreign target buyers. By entering the "product keyword or HS code" with just one click, all "foreign buyers with purchasing needs for the product" can be obtained. Small factories can consider investing some money in this area to directly obtain orders from foreigners.

Some websites have opened up some free customs data, where you can enter "keywords or HS codes" in the search box to search and view some data for free every day, such as the name of the purchaser, procurement volume, procurement cycle, procurement contact information, etc. You can register to experience and learn about the fields of data and their application significance.

5. Utilize the exhibition procurement directory to find buyers and orders

For small factories, attending exhibitions is unrealistic and too expensive. But the influence of the exhibition cannot be underestimated, what should we do? You can consider purchasing a list of exhibition buyers, which can be sold outside the exhibition. The price of a book in one industry is around 100-200. The directory includes the company name, contact information, and frequently purchased products of the purchaser, which can be further studied to find suitable buyers. You can also send flyers outside the exhibition, get some foreign business cards, and if you are lucky, you can also meet some interested customers.

6. Obtaining foreign trade orders through industry friend introductions

In the same industry, there are always countless connections, and friends of friends may be the ones who can give you orders, which is the power of networking. As long as we manage our network well, small factories can also have a continuous stream of orders. There are some specialized trade social networks that gather many people from the foreign trade ecosystem, and these websites can be used to make connections and expand social circles.

7. Utilize foreign social media platforms to find customers and pick up orders

Foreigners are more enthusiastic about using social media platforms such as Facebook, where foreigners can browse multiple times a day and have become a part of their daily lives. There is also LinkedIn, which is an account that many foreign professionals have. These two platforms have also become the mainstream means of promotion for foreign enterprises. Salespeople in small factories can fully use these two platforms to find customers. As long as they are willing to work hard, it is easy to find potential customers and obtain orders on these platforms.

The above sharing is hoped to be helpful to the operators and salespeople of small factories!