Successful experience sharing of ten years of foreign trade business owners

The international trade environment is not what it used to be. "Made in China" urgently needs to be transformed. How can foreign trade companies create their own development strategies? In 2014, Global Sources joined hands with its "CEConline" to continue to create a series of "Wisdom for the Future" export forums, providing an excellent exchange and learning platform for foreign trade enterprises. Chen Honghong, CEO of Guangzhou Test Enterprise Development Co., Ltd., shared her experience in developing foreign trade markets at the Guangzhou Station of the Forum.

Ms. Chen has more than ten years of experience in foreign trade. Her company specializes in mobile phone and tablet peripheral accessories, and has established long-term and stable cooperative relations with Wal-Mart and other large European and American buyers.

New Observations on Market Changes

Chen Honghong: Before 2010, the orders I received each time were not according to the quantity, but according to the number of containers. I used this method to receive orders, and the way these orders were processed, customers placed orders The time is half a year. For example, the next time at the beginning of the year, the completion of the half year, the next time in the middle of the order, the next order in the second half of the year, the next order in a year, I can do it with my eyes closed, the things to do every day It's all about getting the goods out of the way.

The biggest change in this situation is that since the end of 2012, I found that the frequency of customers placing orders from half a year to once every three months, I think it is not good, the frequency has changed, and the requirements of customers have changed a lot. I am an OEM packaging customer who replaces the new packaging every two years. In 2012, I found that the customer changed it once every six months. In the past, the next two million packages were kept in the warehouse and used all the time. As a result, in 2012, I found that the customer changed. Packaging mode, change color, change design pattern. Because I make mobile phone accessories, such as the simplest charger, the colors used to be mainly black and white, but in 2012, colors began to appear. Customers said that black and white, especially black, are no longer easy to sell. Color is the main color, such as our seven major color systems, and even print patterns on the charging gas to match the fashionable color of the clothes. After this situation has changed, this change not only reduces the quantity, but also increases the cost, because I can no longer use the things I used to do with my eyes closed, and the process also increases the cost. In the second half of last year, it became once a month, and the number of orders became tens of thousands and thousands. This is the biggest change.

Market development experience sharing

I pay more attention to details. When I meet any customer, such as from Muslim countries, from Africa, I am willing to learn their local culture, politics and other aspects of knowledge, pay attention to these details . Another important reason is honesty. In this way, between me and my clients, I feel that the most important point in establishing long-term stability is "trust".

No matter how good your product is, if you don't build a relationship of trust with your customers, if you don't pay attention to integrity, your relationship with your customers will not last long.

I have been doing it for more than ten years. My own conclusion is that customers who really buy your products are definitely not because of your price, but because the comprehensive score has achieved the results they want, definitely not because of the price. I think 100% of customers will never come back to you when they buy your products of poor quality. This is one of my experience sharing. Even if you can't do it, you have to tell the customer frankly what you can't do. Reason, but you don't make this product at a price cut to retain customers, so customers will never come back.

But on the other hand, because I used to be a trader, 98% of my customers now know that I am a trader, but why do they still buy from me? I think I have a good service. When he talked about the products in his market and about my products, I could talk to him about his understanding of the consumer market and the changes in consumer behavior. He felt very relieved to give me the order.

In terms of price, I will not be much higher than others. There is a more reasonable price. I will tell him why my price is high. Of course, I will say how many value-added services I have in it, and what I will do. You have to tell the customer very frankly, and you can't always reduce the price in order to get the customer. I really don't think the price is really the reason customers place an order for you.

Selection of Marketing Channels - Online and Offline

One of my biggest feelings is that sometimes the customers who make inquiries on the Internet have never met with you after all. After you meet once, the level of trust between customers and you is completely different, so the integration of these two channels is a very important method, because you may communicate with customers from the Internet for half a year, and some buyers are very For a large buyer, it is difficult to make a decision to choose a new supplier, but he came to the exhibition to see your scale. He knew your experience through communication, your strength through communication, and your understanding of this through communication. After understanding the market, the transaction rate after face-to-face meeting is very high, so I have been more proactive in seizing channels in recent years.

My customers are through the Global Sources network and the exhibition. Some of the customers I have contacted are large channel dealers and buyers. They are registered buyers of Global Sources. Everyone hopes to meet some buyers face-to-face through the exhibition. Home communication, know the strength and experience of buyers, I mainly seize these two channels. In my opinion, these customers, especially big buyers, will also observe what their counterparts are doing. For example, my exhibition popularity has always been very strong, and the transaction is another matter, but the popularity is very strong, because the big When the buyer is there, other channel dealers and suppliers see that they are buying from me, and they want to know what I am selling, so they come to me. After I discovered this situation, especially from 2005 to 2011, I did not lack customers or orders, but I participated in the exhibition every year because I wanted to see those familiar faces every year, and the exhibition was very popular. Wang, those customers will constantly provide me with local market information in the process of communicating with me, chatting with them, my main purpose is to chat with all customers, and they will tell me the changes in the local market. I caught this channel a few years ago.

Marketing skills - chat instead of product , it is my understanding of the market and the consumer group. I don’t sell products first, I first talk to the customer about the market, let the customer understand me, and let him know how different I am from others. First of all, I am not me. products, just like what is the difference between a mobile phone case, it can be used on a mobile phone, or there is no difference in color.

You chat with customers about market demands and consumer psychology. When talking about these changes, you can grasp some points. If you know what other suppliers do not know, customers will trust you. purchase. When I communicate with customers, I never sell my products. In fact, it is just chatting. After chatting, the customer will order everything with me. He knows that those things are not mine, and they will be handed over to me to help purchase. For example, if you want to secure the US market, you must first understand the US market, and have a better understanding of the popular trends of consumer groups or changes in the consumer market. Only by understanding the changes can they be trusted to give you this order. I think it's still a relationship of trust.

Because I don't have a particularly large production capacity or R&D capacity, what I have is what I just said about each market, every detail, customer groups, and consumer groups. Understand, I will also be very attentive to understand, to know what my advantages are, that is, to use this as a landing point, so every customer and me sales transactions are due to chat, not selling my products.