It’s quite frustrating when spending lots of time with a client to have them only inquire about the price of a product and place no orders. So how do we handle this and what steps do we take to improve our business skills and sales rate?

1. Get yourself familiar with the selling points of your products

As a foreign trader, you are supposed to know the features, attributes, and scope of application of the product before attempting to promote it to a client. This enables you to convince your client why your product is worth the price when they question the quality.

Quotation is also a key factor in foreign trade. To develop as many clients as possible and master the regularity and calculation of quotations is a must.

2. Analyze your client in depth

Understanding a client’s intentions and authenticity gives you a clear advantage. If you can predict a client’s behavior, it allows you to analyze the situation to predict the possibility of future business.

Get to know the products, business scopes and markets your client is engaged in, in order to prove that you have in-depth knowledge of the industry and a good understanding of what your client needs and what would benefit them.

Research the market, main target demographics, competitors’ price ranges and any other valuable information such as product distribution methods, specific requirements and procurement procedures. 

This knowledge is key when first meeting with clients as it allows you to communicate with clarity and disclose valuable information during the firstpart of the trade.

3. Keep sense of timing for long-term follow ups.

The survival of foreign trade depends on the relationship with clients and the ability to obtain continuous orders. Whether they are potential clients or long-term ones, it's crucial to establish strong links with them. Thus, you can follow up on them by asking questions like “Did you receive the quotation?”,  “Does the price meet the needs of the market?”, “How did the sales of the last orders fair?” or “Are you planning any new projects in the near future?”

Usually clients engaged in the international B2B trade, place orders once to twice a year, so follow ups work better when clients are in need of procurement.