An Experience with Clients

[mmmaweiyuan]

In March, the boss transferred another French customer, G, to me. This is the first customer that I personally followed out. Although not much is being done now. But I followed it step by step. It was a pleasure. In retrospect, in fact, the reason why customers cooperate with us is the strength of the company. Because the company can do a very special certification, the details are not easy to elaborate, can only say that this certification at that time only a few companies can do and this customer just needed, so it is very advantageous in this respect. It also certifies the strength of the company to help sales.

From a performance point of view, March to August was my worst performance. 500 salaries were deducted for two consecutive quarters. But at that time I did not give up, because there are several customers in hand to follow, the heart is very hopeful when placing orders in the future. At that time, the leaders were very worried about my performance. They called me over several times to help me analyze the situation of customers and encourage me not to give up. But at that time, I was still quite determined, because there have been customers downloading prototypes, inquiries, so I know that now I did not order just did not find the right product, the right opportunity. Sure enough, by the second half of the year, those customers have underground orders one after another. Now, in retrospect, my persistence at that time was still correct.

Speaking of sticking to this kind of thing, in fact, sticking to it is not only a slogan, but also a wisdom. In the first two years of my career, it was because of the wrong persistence that I made myself ashamed. In the foreign trade industry for more than three years, but because of persistence, now can gradually improve, more and more confident. For the previous job insistence, purely out of their own unwillingness, did not take into account their own conditions, did not consider whether the job is suitable for themselves. As a result, it took two years in vain. If you could calmly analyze your situation when you were in trouble, you could jump out of the fire pit earlier.

This customer is very interested in cooperating with us from the beginning of contact. So in the six months from March to August, we have made 7-8 prototype orders, and the quotation is also once a month. But I didn't see what that meant at the time, just foolishly following the customer's requirements. Fortunately, the prototype fee was given on time, so I made more efforts. Now in retrospect, if we could keep up with each other more closely and communicate more, maybe there would be more opportunities for cooperation in the future. Until September, the price of a product finally met the customer's requirements. Of course, this is also the intention of customers to cooperate. At that time, there were several suppliers participating in the bidding, and some of them offered lower prices than we did. But ultimately, customers place orders with us. This is inseparable from the strength of the company at that time, as well as my previous follow-up.

G This customer is a very good customer. And it's very rigorous, and it's completely in accordance with the process. At the same time, they are also very professional, and they can help us solve many technical problems. Another feature is that their foreign purchases are all Chinese, and all the Chinese people in France are invited, so they communicate smoothly. Only the buyer who met me was more strict and less polite. However, after a long time of cooperation, she became familiar with her temper and communicated smoothly. Although troublesome, as long as they operate according to their process, there will be no problem. Unlike some customers whose orders are operated at will, problems occur at the time of final shipment, or errors are found after shipment, resulting in endless subsequent chatter.

But after the order began to operate, I made a lot of mistakes in the follow-up process. Many places are not done carefully enough, of course, this has something to do with my lack of experience, not familiar with the process. In retrospect, one thing is worth noting. First, we should not argue with our customers. On some standard issues, as long as we can do it, we will try to comply with customer requirements. Don't argue with customers about unnecessary standards, even if we are right and win customers, but leave a bad impression on customers. Moreover, since the customer has such criteria or choices, he must have unilateral consideration, but he has no time or need to explain it to us in detail. Because of language problems, it is sometimes difficult for customers to express their concerns accurately. At this time, all we have to do is to express ourselves and give suggestions to customers. If they have to stick to their own choices, they can do it according to customers'requirements. Although I knew this before, I still failed to do it in practice. Only by touching a wall can we deeply understand it.

Secondly, if there is a problem, we must make it clear to our customers and never hide it. Especially for some professional customers. At this point, I made a rather serious mistake, resulting in having to work overtime with engineers on the night of December 31, 2014. While others are celebrating the New Year, I have to work hard overtime.

[mmmaweiyuan]

Generally speaking, foreign trade companies do not have the ability to open their own factories (there are also individual transforming factories that are successful, but the probability of success is very low, mainly due to different genes), but if they can form strategic alliances or equity cooperation with powerful factories, the theoretical risk will be greatly reduced, and it is very helpful to lock in customers (customers know the powerful factories behind you, basically). You will not betray you; from the factory point of view, you are their business and shareholders, easy to do and will not betray you), thus forming a relatively stable cooperative relationship in theory.

But there are several premises:

1. Factory products need a certain value-added, there is enough profit space for foreign trade companies to survive (if the industry is a complete price competition is also troublesome, the factory will eventually betray you in the absence of profit space).

2. Customers are better retailers (importers are usually willing to cooperate directly with factories, because their roles are essentially the same as those of foreign trading companies, and there are no two intermediaries between factories and terminal channels).

3. You must constantly create new value for the factory (which will stabilize your alliance or equity relationship with the factory).

In a way, factories are more important than customers in this mode, and it is sometimes more valuable to fix factories than to fix customers.

Third Sword: Establish own brand, develop their own agents or distributors abroad

Core: Brand Uniqueness (Product Development)

This sword is very difficult. Normally, don't take this road easily.

At present, I have seen a very low probability of success, because logically establishing a Chinese brand in the terminal channel of a Chinese enterprise abroad is a relatively unthinkable thing (except for large domestic enterprises such as Meimei and Haier). Cultural factors, but more foreigners to protect their own market (asymmetric competition).

[mmmaweiyuan]

Trust establishment

Trust, TRUST, is very important. Foreign trade business is the process of establishing TRUST when customers place orders. His order represents his TRUST to you. My theory differs from others in that I explain more about the nature of trust and how to build it quickly.

One point one

What is the essence of customer TRUST?

1. Customers highly identify with your personality or professionalism

2. Customer's predictions of certainty in your behavior

3. Your control over the customer's human weaknesses

These sentences are rather lame. To put them in plain English, customers need to trust you with the following necessary and inadequate conditions:

1. You're attractive and he thinks you're pushy.

2. You reassure him that he won't pit him.

3. You've got him (in the way he likes) and he likes to be with you.

One point two

Quick Trust-Building Solutions

With methodologies for customer trust, your quick trust-building solution is simple:

1. Shape your professional background and personal charm, and let customers adore you.

2. Perfect your own details, so that customers can not find fault.

3. Insight into the weakness of the customer's human nature and use it to control him.

In the early stage of foreign trade, as long as you grasp the third chapter of the first stick (insight into the weakness of the customer's human nature, and use this to control him), the customer will be foolishly controlled by you, and continue to place orders. If you ask some old salesmen, they will tell you that as long as you eat, drink and play with customers and keep them company, you can have orders. However, the threshold of this technique is too low, you will accompany others to eat and drink, so it is not very useful now. (However, if you can gain insight into a client's hidden weaknesses that others don't know, you can also create a threshold of trust).

Personally, I prefer to use the first method, using my professionalism and personal charm to form the threshold of trust. Once trust is formed, the latter two sticks are very good to play.

Of course, most people are not necessarily able to use the first method (professionalism is not formed in a day, personal charm usually needs to accumulate over time), the second method is more suitable for the situation of most people. Many people will question that if I do the details perfectly, will the customers trust me?

So what's perfect in detail? Give me a few examples.

1. Write down every word the customer said at the meeting, and propose solutions to everything the customer cares about when sending FOLLOW UP e-mail, and indicate the completion time of each solution.

2. All the details in the quotation sheet are very detailed, including the clear picture of the picture and the location, all the terms of the trade, and all the information that the customer needs to know without further inquiry.

3. Any e-mail will be answered within 1 hour of the customer's sending, and the response is of high quality. If the customer's problem cannot be solved, the customer will be informed when the solution can be available.

4. Be extremely patient when negotiating with customers. Know all the questions that customers care about and even the preferences of customers'life. Every expression and action of customers is remembered.

There's a lot more...

I've met a couple of people who are extremely eloquent in detail before. They seem to be eloquent on the surface. They don't have a very impressive way of thinking. Why do they do business so well? Originally it's details, so people with strong details can easily get the trust of customers.

One point three

Path to get customer TRUST:

To sum up, TRUST has three paths to get customers:

1. Let oneself become a cattle man in the industry, take a professional route to the industry, form a bull image in the eyes of customers, and establish trust.

2. Make the details superb and make the customer feel that your work is not missing, thus forming the basis of trust.

3. Grasp the weaknesses of customer's human nature, and build a high degree of trust in you.

As long as you master the first stick: trust is established, your cooperation with customers will have a very solid foundation.

[mmmaweiyuan]

The two most important aspects of value display are as follows:

1. Switch to the buyer's purchasing situation.

2. Reshape the unique product value from the buyer's point of view.

First of all, your so-called good products, big factories and customers in fact do not have half a dime relationship, in the buyer's point of view, all suppliers say they are good, so you cliche customers do not like to listen to.

What kind of value presentation process do customers like to see?

The hotspot of the Internet is participation.

That is, you have to stand in the buyer's purchasing situation, create a communication atmosphere in which customers can participate, and ultimately let customers feel the unique value of your products in his purchasing system!

Examples are given to illustrate:

An importer in the United States, a large customer in the industry, has established basic trust through exhibitions and you. Now to see the factory, how do you do value display?

Normal salesman's practice: Warmly arrange to receive customers. When customers arrive at the factory, they will show our customers a wide range of product lines and show them our beautiful production lines. At the same time, they will show us the major breakthroughs in R&D and science and technology of our products, as well as the fairly good quality control system. Finally, a very warm dinner was given to the customers, which cost a lot of money. Shortly afterwards, the customer sent an e-mail saying that he would not consider cooperation for the time being.

The boss was angry. Why did he spend so much energy or failed to get the customers? The salesman said, "My concubine did everything she should do. Why can't we fix the customers?"

The problem is: without the right value display, your value display is based on the seller, not the buyer!

Two point two

What should we do to show the right value?

1. Analyse the competition pattern of the industry.

2. Strategic analysis under the current situation of customers.

3. The analysis of purchasing strategy brought by customer strategy.

4. Customer's current supplier status.

5. The pain points in the current purchasing system of customers and the product lines that can be optimized or replaced.

6. Package your product, reshape the value of the product, fill in or replace the defects and pain points in the customer's purchasing system.

7. Visualize the logic above so that customers can easily perceive it.

8. Assuming that your logic can not be recognized by the customer, let the customer tell himself the pain points of his purchase and the opportunities he can give you.

9. Identify your opportunities in the current customer system and grasp them closely.

This is what a systematic buyer considers. He orders you not because he wants to buy, but because he wants to sell. All you should fully stand in his position and consider the problems he encounters and how to make a correct purchase decision.

A lot of people would say, I don't have that much information for value presentation?

This is the difference between Niubi's sales and ordinary sales. Niubi's sales meeting summarizes all the information about customers and presents it systematically to customers, and stands in the buyer's position to analyze the buyer's needs, and at the same time reshape the value of their products to induce the buyer to buy.

Ordinary sales are always talking about how good their products are, how good the price is, how advanced the technology is, but do not know that the buyer's thinking and views are completely different.

The most important principle of value display is: always stand in the buyer's position to see the problem! You're not a salesman, you just give advice on customer purchasing behavior!

At this time, some people will ask, if my company's products really can't do, I can't pit customers ah! If after logical analysis, the customer is really not suitable to purchase from your company, you have two ways of doing this:

In any case, packaging your company's products as customers want, but maybe you can only do one business.

2. Recognize the shortcomings of our products and give our customers a pertinent suggestion to build a long-term relationship.

I usually choose the second one, because you can't get all the customers, some customers may not be able to meet the requirements of your current company, but if you have a good reputation in the industry, the future will be much wider. Don't worry too much about the gains and losses of one city and one pool.

Assuming that you follow the way I used the first two sticks, the customer is indeed your target customer, and your product really attracts the customer's attention, then we will enter the last stick stage.

Three sticks and three sticks

Transaction lockout

Many people will also encounter this situation: customers and you have established a good relationship, but also look at your products, but not orders. This kind of customer is called "Mr. Good" for short. It makes you feel good every time, but it doesn't make you any money.

So the third stick: Trading lock-in is a very important part, and it's more important to kick the ball in front of the door than anything else.

Customers like you and your products, but the following situations often occur when placing orders:

1. Purchasing your products is not urgent or important.

2. The customer's needs have changed. His terminal may not need your goods now.

3. Customer purchasing is restricted by the company's funds or policies and cannot be purchased.

4. You don't provide enough tempting terms to make customers decide that 123 is something you can't change. As long as you work hard on four sides, you can fight 123's uncontrollable customer factors.

[mmmaweiyuan]

The vast majority of people in the world do not know how to distinguish "luck" from "skill". You meet a successful entrepreneur today. When you ask him why he succeeded, the basic answer you will get is "I am strong, courageous, dare to gamble, have resources" and so on. But basically you don't meet a winner who tells you, "I succeed by luck," because it's too inhumane. People always exaggerate their abilities when they succeed and the constraints of the environment when they fail.

In fact, the real path to success must be "skill"+ "luck". No one's success can escape the elements of luck.

Even today, it is impossible for you to let Ma Yun do Alibaba again, because he can not copy the luck of Alibaba.

But how can we calculate the ratio of "skill" to "luck"? This is a very advanced thinking. If you can eliminate the "luck" component from your success stories, and then calculate the "skill" component repeatedly in each decision, your next decision-making may be "luck" proportion will become smaller and smaller, until finally the "luck" proportion tends to zero. That is, you can eat all over the world by virtue of "skill".

Is there a career that depends on skill? Sure, like a doctor. Why is it that the older the doctor is, the more popular he is, because his "skill" has been gradually eliminated from the "luck" component and can strike the disease accurately after time's training. But if a new doctor (just graduated) succeeds in an operation, chances are high that he will be "lucky".

At this time, we shift our thinking to the foreign trade industry. Is it possible for us to rely only on "skill" and not "luck" in the decision-making of foreign trade business?

The boss also gives you and your colleagues 10 new customers. How can you control your luck and conquer your boss by skill?

I think you need to do the following three steps:

1. Detailed analysis of the success of the past business, in the end how much of your "skills" account for? Assuming you go to the company, a total of three customers, you can replace yourself with colleagues, these three customers can be made? If the answer is to replace yourself with colleagues, these three customers can do it, which means that your "skills" and colleagues are similar, your success "luck" proportion is too large, or your business success does not need superb "skills". If the answer is no, then you have to wonder why you can be the three customers, but not your colleagues! What is the "extra skill" that you exceed your colleagues?

2 After analyzing your "extra skills", the answer is "affinity"+ "execution". You need to make up for your "skills". Affinity + execution may work in the stage of building customer trust, but in the stage of transforming customers, decision-making power + negotiation power is more important. You have to supplement your inadequate skills. Find a co-worker who complements your skills, and even let your boss complement your skills.

3. Continuously weakening the influence of "luck". The first 10 new customers, maybe your "skill" is far superior to your colleagues, but his list of potential customers is just a high-quality customer, and just in a hurry to purchase, your "luck" is not good, but if you can continuously increase the number of potential customers, such as from 10 to 100, in fact, your "luck" weight will decline, and the "skill" weight will rise. If your "skills" (your superior skills + complementary skills of others) are really far superior to your colleagues, your performance will inevitably blow up when you have enough customers, because "luck" has been greatly weakened (or even basically eliminated) in a large enough sample.

So in your actual business work, you will find that people who do well in their business will make use of external resources other than "himself". In fact, they just use other people's "skills" to make up for their personal deficiencies. Essentially, they will make "skills" more important and "luck" less important. In the long run, the probability that they do better than their colleagues is certain. It's much higher.

So no matter how bad your current business skills are, if you can fully mobilize external resources (such as the master of the metre circle), your chances of winning your colleagues are almost 100%.