Last
week, we had a critical look at trade leads -
analysing who posts, why, how reliable and most
important, how to make their best use. This week,
we examine guidelines on how to respond to trade
leads for better results.
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First and foremast, respond
immediately, without any delay. Time is a
very important factor as the deal may get
closed much sooner than you expect or the
buyer may loose interest in your offer (specially
if he has received a dozen offers before yours)
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While writing e-mail, please
use generally established conventions (e.g.
no capital letter, specific subject etc.)
You will find lot of useful information at
e-commerce tutorial - http://www.infobanc.com/resources.htm
or earlier issue of FAIDA
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Please make sure that your communication
is able to inspire confidence in buyer about
your ability. Make it short, concise and to
the point. Provide sufficient information/
answer to buyers' inquiry, not just a 'we
can do' statement. If you ask for more information,
make sure you are also sharing necessary information
about yourself.
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If you have already exported
to clients in buyer's country or has a 'Reference'
list, do not hesitate to talk about it. If
you are new to export, try to develop your
References. It is very useful, specially for
buyers in USA and Europe.
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It is normal practice for buyers
of gifts, handicrafts etc. to ask for your
catalog. If you have a good-looking printed
catalog, or a CD-ROM presentation, make best
use of it. A professional looking web-site
is more economic in many cases.
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Avoid long e-mails on your company,
history, background etc. Refer to your web-site
for such information. Main part of your e-mail
should not exceed 10-12 lines, detail offers
may be added below your signature.
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While replying to e-mails, please
quote only relevant parts. Quoting complete
mails, specially long and unnecessary text,
is positively irritating. Many people, even
in developed countries, still take print-outs
of incoming mails and you can well imagine
their plight and irritation.
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Never, never attach files without
specific permission from buyer. Remember,
file attachments are main source for virus
infection. Many Internet users delete e-mails
with file attachments even before reading,
specially when it comes from unknown source.
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Use judicious mix of telephone
and fax alongwith e-mail for serious inquiries.
Please do not rest back after sending an initial
e-mail. For important inquiries, follow-up
with short telephone calls, gentle e-mail
reminders etc. Off-line follow-up is generally
appreciated by buyers.
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Generally a manufacturer/producer
gets more weightage from buyer as only producer/manufacturer
has better control over quality and delivery
schedule. Make sure you have better control
over your product procurement, quality and
delivery than your competitors.
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Do not fall into the sample
trap. Even if your samples are extremely inexpensive,
charge courier fee for them. Do not make a
habit of sending samples to anybody who asks
for them. Identify the person who is making
the request and make sure that this person
is the one making the buying decision.
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Understand that most foreign
distributors do not make fast buying decisions.
It is not at all unusual for an initial order
to require 9-12 months from the time of the
initial solicitation depending upon the cost
of the item.
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Understand the difference between
selling to an end user on a one time basis
and selling to a foreign distributor for future
distribution. Obviously, you would want to
give the distributor more consideration.
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Do not respond to requests for
letters inviting a potential buyer to your
country for a meeting unless you are already
doing business with the company. This is sometimes
used as a scam to get a visa for entry on
the pretense of doing business. This type
of letter is risky unless there is a significant
business deal involved. In such a case, you
should contact your country's foreign commercial
attaché in that country and see if they can
make a personal visit on your behalf.
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Use some common sense. Yes you
have to be polite, but that does not mean
that you should spend Rs. 50,000 and a week
to travel overseas to get a $600 order. Everybody
would like to meet the people with whom they
are doing business overseas, but that is not
always practical. Do not hop onto an airplane
every time some distributor sends you a very
pleasant letter about how much potential business
there is in his/her country.
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Do not get disappointed if there's
no immediate response to your e-mail. Gently
nudge buyer with telephone call, send e-mail
reminders (no harm if you just forward your
earlier mail) a few times before giving up.
We all receive a large number of e-mails everyday
and many of us forget to respond in time.
Remember, developing a buyer is difficult
and time consuming process. However, few good
buyers can keep you busy with orders round
the year.
