Those who are engaged in foreign trade have undoubtedly realized that it is getting trickier to secure reliable customers even though they send thousands of development letters to find medical device buyers. So, with increasing competition, how is it possible to obtain more target clients? In the long run, improving product competitiveness and branding may look like the choice we will take, but what are the most efficient short term methods of customer development?

Ddu (www.drugdu.com), the leading global pharmaceutical & medical device B2B online platform, will share 4 tricks for customer development with examples of medical devices that, in our experience, have led to good results.

I. Catalogue of exhibitors

Every year, there are various medical equipment exhibitions where people are able to communicate face-to-face with clients. However, not every company can afford to attend exhibitions, which is why exhibitor catalogues are very useful.

On the official website of an exhibition there is usually a catalogue of exhibitors where you can search for information such as websites and emails of medical device buyers.

II. Search engines

On a medical device company’s official website, you will be able to find their email address under “Contact us”. Take “www.abc.com/contactus.html” for example, simply input key words such as “products+inurl:contactus” on the website and you will directly go to “Contact us”.

If, for example, you input “hospital bed buyer inurl:contactus” in Google, you will get the results of the “Contact us” pages of hospital bed buyers’ websites.

III. Yellow pages websites

Most medical device companies in Europe link their official websites to the yellow pages. This is a simple way of collecting the contact information of your potential clients allowing you to send them development letters.

IV. B2B platforms

B2B platforms are the most frequently used and easiest way to develop new clients. It does, however, take more than simply uploading the products if you want it to work for you since keyword optimization plays a major role in making your products searchable.

In order to optimize your use of B2B sites, first start by applying the following formula:  “product name + parameter (function, color, size, texture etc.) + keyword/category + model number” and keep it to more or less 60 characters.

Secondly, different products of the same type should be described from multiple perspectives to avoid repetition of the various keywords used for searching. Make use of Google AdWords (https://adwords.google.com/intl/en_hk/home/tools/keyword-planner/) to find the most frequently used search words for your products.  It is also very useful and effective to use different keyword when editing product titles.

Thirdly, make use of alternative opportunities by keeping an eye on the promotional activities hosted by the B2B platform.

Ddu, a B2B platform focused on the medical industry, is currently hosting an online recruitment rally for medical devices which is done by collaborating with global social media giants like Google, Facebook, Yahoo and LinkedIn. During the online rally, Ddu will select dozens of priority products to conduct online promotions, helping users to get maximum exposure for their products and locate potential business partners.

A former participant of the online hospital bed exhibition  stated that he received over 10 inquires during the Chinese Spring Festival (February 2018) which is why Ddu is currently has  another online recruitment rally for 14 medical devices in full swing. Register on Ddu and complete your product information to join in the activity for free!

Since Ddu is currently hosting a promotion, you can register online before March 31^st. Not only can you apply for the online recruitment rally, but you also stand the chance to have your products increase in rank and be first on the list!

Link for application of the online recruitment rally:

http://act.drugdu.com/2018-Online-Exhibition-Medical-Device-Products-Recruitment-969490005165211648.html