Many foreign trade salesmen often complain that the customer is a dead one, new customers are difficult to develop, and old customers are difficult to maintain. Is it because the competition is too fierce and your opponents are poaching your corner, or is it because you are not attentive enough, so that customers do not have a sense of “home away from home”?
For any customer who cooperates with me, as long as he still wants to buy, the first choice must be me, even if my price is not the cheapest. Why is this so? Because I do the details to make the client comfortable. So, what are the details?
1、Send a bill of lading. I always send two separate copies, of course I pay for it myself, the reason is very simple, I am afraid of losing it. Only one original bill of lading is required for delivery. When sending, the three originals will be sent twice. If one of the originals is lost, the customer can also pick up the goods with another original bill of lading, so as not to lose all of them at once. Although I have never encountered a lost shipment so far, customers appreciate our care and professionalism.
2、Regardless of whether the client requests it or not, I will apply for free crate use and stockpiling for the client. After the application, tell the client how many days of free shipping and storage I have applied for you, so as not to incur port charges if you are too late for the procedures. This itself is not our business. The cost of the goods arriving at the port has nothing to do with us, but we think about the customer. The customer is naturally very happy and feels very caring!
3、Handle loan-free business for customers. Many near-ocean customers will also require a letter of credit, such as Korean and Thai customers. The shipping time is short, and the goods have already arrived at the port. Maybe our documents are not ready yet. After the presenting bank has completed the review, it will be sent to the issuing bank. Therefore, I usually take the initiative to provide customers with the delivery of goods without a bill of lading. Many customers do not even know that there is such a business. They are very happy to know that they can get the goods in advance, and they appreciate our enthusiasm and professionalism.
4、Proactively check and fill omissions for customers. I once had a Hong Kong customer who was 81 years old, a Korean customer who was 78 years old, and a Thai customer who was 76 years old. They were still doing shopping, but they always lost it. Either I forgot to tell me here, or I forgot to say it there, and I forgot and didn’t admit it. , always think that the sellers have forgotten and delayed their affairs. But nothing like this has ever happened since working with me, and I’ll keep an eye on every detail. For example, sometimes they forget to ask for the certificate of origin, and I will ask the operator to make the certificate of origin and send it together; sometimes they forget to ask us to separate the bill of lading, and the three containers are divided into two bills of lading, and I will ask each time. One more sentence; sometimes when they do CFR, they will forget to take out insurance, and I will call to inform them not to forget to buy insurance. They did not regard me as a seller, but as a caring person, and cooperation is naturally a matter of course!
5、After the contract is signed, I will often brief the customer on the progress of the product. Take photos of the warehouse, tell customers about our booking progress, etc., and maintain timely communication. If it is true that the space cannot be booked due to some reasons, we will notify the customer in time and inform us that we have booked the next class, so that the customer can have a real grasp of the progress of the goods, which is also a manifestation of professionalism!
6、When goods are shipped and loaded into containers, I ask for the entire operation to be filmed. Including: empty box, half box, full box, reinforcement, sealing, and lead sealing, and then send it to the customer to let the customer know that the goods have been dispatched, and the customer has the right to know this information, which is professional and Responsible performance.
7、Even if the ship has not yet sailed, we will provide the existing bill of lading number to the customer. The website of the shipping company is provided to the customer, so that the customer can accurately grasp the latest situation of their cargo. I will also pay attention to it all the time. Once the ship is set off, I will inform the customer immediately, and ask the customer to send the prepared packing list invoice to the customer as soon as possible for the customer to check and see if there is any content that needs to be changed.
8、Get the documents as soon as possible. For L/C customers, even if the delivery period is not specified (the default is 21 days), I will request that only the documents be made as soon as possible, and the documents will be negotiated.
Details determine success or failure. Your operation represents whether you are professional, whether you will bring convenience or trouble to customers, and whether you give customers a sense of security. The representative of the cooperation has already established basic trust. If you can leave a very professional impression on the customer through the first cooperation, you are still afraid that the customer will not return the order to you?
Post time: Oct-17-2022