How to get the first order as a newcomer?
Post 1 of 26
![[em29]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_frown.gif){kind=icon}
I have been searching the machine buyers for more than one month on alibaba.com without having got an order.Actually ,I had my first foreign client visiting our factory last time,but he did not seem to buy our cutting machine.After a few days ,he told me that he had already placed an order with other factory.![[em8]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_cry.gif){kind=icon}
Then ,I was sad.I thought that there must be so many reasons that he did not want to purchase our machines.maybe it is I that didnot do enough.Now that I still need to find the machine buyers,and still wait for a long time.can anybody let me know how to get the first order and how to impress my foreign client at the first time?Thanks
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10 Oct 2007 08:03
Post 2 of 26
Replying to [little friend]:Sorry to hear that little buddy. You should tell us some details of what you two talking about so that we can analyse what caused a failed business. Maybe many reasons for it, like the price, delivery time, quality, your attitude etc..
If he was not sincere enough to do business with you, just let him go. There are more fish in the sea.![[em1]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_smile.gif)
Best of luck for you.
If he was not sincere enough to do business with you, just let him go. There are more fish in the sea.
Best of luck for you.
11 Oct 2007 02:47
Post 3 of 26
Replying to [little friend]:
Fully agree with Cooleyes! If you still can make contact with that prospect, try to get a friendly chat with him and ask him for his reasons, observations, etc. That should help you next time.
Fully agree with Cooleyes! If you still can make contact with that prospect, try to get a friendly chat with him and ask him for his reasons, observations, etc. That should help you next time.
11 Oct 2007 10:56
Post 4 of 26
Replying to [little friend]:
My friend,
Nice to know you here! I am the same feel as you!
My friend,
Nice to know you here! I am the same feel as you!
12 Oct 2007 01:09
Post 5 of 26
Replying to [little friend]:
Don't worry, that's a natural thing.
I also encountered the same situation as you before, one of my customer visit our factory, he agreed the price and the quantity with our boss,(he said he have a very big quantity each month), but after some days, he lose interest in our products, and he told me he will not give us an order, I want to know the reason, but he didn't mention it.
Maybe there are many reasons, (I'm a new employee that time, not familiar with our company and our products), all I can do is to keep a friendly communication relationship with him, and do more effort to know more about our company and our products, to know more about our competitors. Make great effort to be a professional foreigh trade salesman.
Infact, my second potential customer will visit our factory, and I believe I'll do better this time.
Just to do everything as usual, to improve yourself, I believe you'll have your first order very soon. Fighting!![[em20]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_victory.gif)
![[em10]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_silly.gif)
Don't worry, that's a natural thing.
I also encountered the same situation as you before, one of my customer visit our factory, he agreed the price and the quantity with our boss,(he said he have a very big quantity each month), but after some days, he lose interest in our products, and he told me he will not give us an order
, I want to know the reason, but he didn't mention it.Maybe there are many reasons, (I'm a new employee that time, not familiar with our company and our products), all I can do is to keep a friendly communication relationship with him, and do more effort to know more about our company and our products, to know more about our competitors. Make great effort to be a professional foreigh trade salesman.
Infact, my second potential customer will visit our factory, and I believe I'll do better this time.
Just to do everything as usual, to improve yourself, I believe you'll have your first order very soon. Fighting!
12 Oct 2007 01:21
Post 6 of 26
Replying to [little friend]:yes ,I can make contact with that prospective buyer .But if I do as you said that I should ask him the reasons, he will be angry .He does like to waste time to listen to my call ,for there is no meaning for him to make contact with me .He does not need our products.
12 Oct 2007 02:08
Post 7 of 26
Replying to [little friend]:
I know how it feels when you start up and everything seems to go the wrong way.
But here is how I did it.
1. First of all you need to know what your competition is doing, and why they are getting orders and you are not.
- Find out how they are advertising their product, what terms
terms they are using to boost their products
- Find out the weak points of the competitions product
and try to show that to your potential clients
2. Now you need to find out, why even after a inquiry the customers dont stick with you
- Ask yourself what am I doing wrong, it can be that you
yourself don´t know everything about the product
Customers see that gap of knowledge, so improve on that
- Maybe your are giving the wrong quotations, happend to me
a lot, you need to know your calculations by heart, and also
should keep the different shipping terms in your head like,
Exwarehouse, FOB, CNF, CIF, etc.
- Maybe your shipping cost is to high, find a better shipping
agent, who is also convinient for your buyer as well.
3. Imagine you were the customer
- what questions you would want to know, like what is the
product quality? what is the shipping cost? what other
service come along? etc.
- Try to understand your customer, Why they want the
product and for what?
- Specially ask yourself why would you do business with
yourself or your company? If you can answer this well,
and are enthusiastic about your product it shows your
client that the product really is good.
4. BE HONEST and HELPFULL
- Be sure you are open to the customers, the more
transparent you are, the higher chances are you get an order
- Try to be as helpfull as you can, guiding the customer etc.
but that doesn´t include helping him find other goods from
other companies.
It took me some time, but eventually I got the first order, and then one after another. There is also a ratio to that, usually for every 50-100 inquiry, you have 1-5 possible customers, you can get, if you do the right thing, 100% in your pocket. Then there is 5-20 customers who have 75% chance you can attract, but only if you really become proficient at it, and so on.
So basically never give up, send as many quotations as possible, to increase the percentage of possible customers, so stay motivated.
I know how it feels when you start up and everything seems to go the wrong way.
But here is how I did it.
1. First of all you need to know what your competition is doing, and why they are getting orders and you are not.
- Find out how they are advertising their product, what terms
terms they are using to boost their products
- Find out the weak points of the competitions product
and try to show that to your potential clients
2. Now you need to find out, why even after a inquiry the customers dont stick with you
- Ask yourself what am I doing wrong, it can be that you
yourself don´t know everything about the product
Customers see that gap of knowledge, so improve on that
- Maybe your are giving the wrong quotations, happend to me
a lot, you need to know your calculations by heart, and also
should keep the different shipping terms in your head like,
Exwarehouse, FOB, CNF, CIF, etc.
- Maybe your shipping cost is to high, find a better shipping
agent, who is also convinient for your buyer as well.
3. Imagine you were the customer
- what questions you would want to know, like what is the
product quality? what is the shipping cost? what other
service come along? etc.
- Try to understand your customer, Why they want the
product and for what?
- Specially ask yourself why would you do business with
yourself or your company? If you can answer this well,
and are enthusiastic about your product it shows your
client that the product really is good.
4. BE HONEST and HELPFULL
- Be sure you are open to the customers, the more
transparent you are, the higher chances are you get an order
- Try to be as helpfull as you can, guiding the customer etc.
but that doesn´t include helping him find other goods from
other companies.
It took me some time, but eventually I got the first order, and then one after another. There is also a ratio to that, usually for every 50-100 inquiry, you have 1-5 possible customers, you can get, if you do the right thing, 100% in your pocket. Then there is 5-20 customers who have 75% chance you can attract, but only if you really become proficient at it, and so on.
So basically never give up, send as many quotations as possible, to increase the percentage of possible customers, so stay motivated.
23 Oct 2007 05:49
Post 8 of 26
Replying to [little friend]:
Let me tell you something about my first order.
I started my work on April 9th. I know little about international trade.
But it seems I'm lucky.
In May, One French customer let me send her a PI after my quotation. Then the deal is done. She transferred all the payment to us at once. Then we started our production ....
Frankly, I didn't know how to make a PI at all. I search a lot on Baidu, make a reference to others' PI.![[em2]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_laugh.gif)
Wish you good luck!!!![[em18]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_deal.gif)
Let me tell you something about my first order.
I started my work on April 9th. I know little about international trade.
But it seems I'm lucky.
In May, One French customer let me send her a PI after my quotation. Then the deal is done. She transferred all the payment to us at once. Then we started our production ....
Frankly, I didn't know how to make a PI at all. I search a lot on Baidu, make a reference to others' PI.
Wish you good luck!!!
23 Oct 2007 23:11
Post 9 of 26
Replying to [little friend]:really, you are very lucky. I am not so lucky
best wishes for you and also for me.
best wishes for you and also for me.
24 Oct 2007 23:59
Post 10 of 26
Replying to [Fei Wong]:You are really very lucky,I admire you very much.But I think you must do a lot of work.![[em16]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_applause.gif)
25 Oct 2007 01:09
Post 11 of 26
Replying to [little friend]:In my opinion,you should track the customer with high sincere and rfrequently.
I have worked in our company for four months,during this time,i have received three orders,and all of the three new customers are reordering our products now ,doing international business is not so hard as you imagine,the most important is you should be patient ,be talented,be genuine .
.
I have worked in our company for four months,during this time,i have received three orders,and all of the three new customers are reordering our products now ,doing international business is not so hard as you imagine,the most important is you should be patient ,be talented,be genuine ..
25 Oct 2007 19:35