Jessie received an inquiry from her client stating that he would place a large amount of orders at a favorable price. Jessie closed the deal and made her quotation without bargaining for more profits. However, her client informed her that due to change of procurement plan, he would only place half of the orders at the price they both agreed on before. Jessie was outraged since she spared no effort to make her boss nod to the deal and if her client changed his mind, the deal wouldn’t be profitable.

As a matter of fact, we all can better “manage” our clients.

1. Why would your clients change their minds when placing orders?

Often, you are not the only supplier your clients deal with, so  put yourself in a unique and memorable light. That is, when they are about to place orders, remind them of the time of arrival of goods and in this way, they can be aware that the goods will only arrive on time, if they pay on time.

2. Why are there no orders when you provide good products and services?

Draw the attention of your clients swiftly before someone else does.

First, figure out what your client’s core requirements are. Some of them are concerned with payment methods and others, with quality. Show them your company is up to standard with authorized certificates.

Secondly, convince them in a way that is comfortable and familiar to them. Some clients do business through socializing while others prefer to come straight to the point. This is often indicative of the country’s culture your conducting your business.

3. Ask for more details.

The rule of “less talk and more work” may not always be 100% applicable when you are engaged in foreign trade. Quite the other way around, you should raise all the relevant questions in the process of dealing with your clients.

Generally, there are three questions you should ask during the various phases of your business.

First, ask for basic information when you receive a new inquiry. You can distinguish whether they are real potential clients by asking specific requirements like “what’s your estimated time of arrival?” or “Are there any shipment requests?”.

Secondly, try to discover what their reasons are for not placing any orders. This allows you to know whether there are any issues on your side which you have to correct.

Thirdly, as for feedback when you close the deal. Make phone calls to personally ask clients whether they were happy with the service and where they feel there is room for improvement.

All in all, consider our clients as allies. The best sales strategy is to meet their needs with your professional service.

Only if you and your client understand each other and achieve a win-win situation can you get the recognition and orders you want. Therefore, managing your clients is about more than simply getting orders, but all about managing your ability to do business.