Foreign trade is a very hard industry and an extremely interesting world. This morning, you dressed a cup of coffee with an Arab in a luxurious hotel lobby, while at night it led a group of workers to load containers. Sometimes you don't have a phone call all day long, sometimes you have to argue with Americans all night long. You may earn tens of thousands of yuan in one email, or you may have a "big disaster" because you missed a sentence. There has been a warm reception from the Swiss customers, and it has been painstakingly designed by a country's profiteers.

You will meet people of all kinds, merchants, banks, customs and government agencies from all over the world to deal with all sorts of weird accidents. A lot of things can't be found in international trade textbooks, and experience is more important.

First, one of the topics: "three no" enterprises, how do foreign trade novices work

As the pace of Chinese companies moving into the international market has increased, more and more small and medium-sized private enterprises have begun to recruit and explore foreign markets. A considerable number of fresh graduates and other industry personnel have also applied for or changed jobs as foreign trade salesmen. These enterprises often do not have mature foreign trade departments and personnel, and some have never even had experience in direct foreign trade. Then, in this “three noes” environment without foreign customer channels, no experience, and no mature business manager, how does a newbie work? In addition to the practical instructions in front of this book, some non-business factors are also important.

Whether it is a business owner or a newcomer to business, you must be aware of two facts:

1. Foreign trade companies are not enemies of factories but friends. In the long period of development of the enterprise, the cooperation of foreign trade companies cannot be separated. Selling goods abroad through a foreign trade company (not an agent export, because the customer is a foreign trade company), of course, will lose a lot of potential profits - this is exactly what many factory owners are worried about - but It is the only way for most small and medium-sized factories. Foreign trade companies are familiar with international markets and foreign trade operations. Working with them can not only greatly reduce the upfront risks of entering the international market, but also gain valuable experience on market demand, which is essential for improving products to meet the needs of international buyers. In addition, when supplying goods to foreign trade companies, foreign trade companies will stipulate a lot of requirements for packaging, transportation and document production. Don't underestimate and get tired of these rules and regulations, because this is mostly the request of foreign buyers. Carefully follow the requirements and communicate with foreign trade companies to gain more understanding of the causes and consequences of these requirements for future reference.

Therefore, as a newcomer, the first thing to pay attention to is to cooperate with the existing foreign trade companies in a serious and active manner, and carefully organize and file according to different orders. The foreign trade company will be your former teacher.

2. The foreign trade market can be developed in a month or two. Foreign trade is a systematic project. In addition to the more important price, other transportation and document transfer is also the key. So it's not as simple as a general transaction: quote the price, the customer accepts the contract. Even if you find an interested customer, the customer will need time to understand you and observe you to make sure that you can deliver the goods on time and under the price conditions and submit the documents. This process is longer because there are thousands of miles apart. What's more, customers often don't buy your ready-made products, but need to make minor changes, confirm sales samples and so on. Not only do you have to learn foreign trade, but you also need to be familiar with product knowledge in order to answer customer inquiries and increase customer confidence in you.

So, it's no surprise that it takes you three to six months from the time you start working until you get the previous order. Of course, if your product has advantages or has the opportunity to participate in large trade fairs such as the Canton Fair, the process may be shorter.

Therefore, in the first few months, you must be mentally prepared and active, but you don't have to rush. However, if there is no intentional inquiry or reply during this period, it is necessary to review it in time. It is the price reason, not the wrong choice of the target market, or the wrong way of working, and make some adjustments accordingly.

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