Foreign trade quotation strategy: clever use of real and virtual offers

In foreign trade business, when faced with inquiries from first-time customers, how to quote appropriately has become an art. Quotation not only involves direct economic benefits, but is also a key link in establishing long-term cooperative relationships. During the quotation process, foreign trade personnel need to understand the difference between firm offer and non-firm offer and their application skills.

Overview of real disk and virtual disk

According to international trade practice, a formal foreign trade quotation should contain complete term information, such as product name, price validity period, supply quantity and delivery date, etc. This type of offer is called a “firm offer” and is legally binding. Once accepted by the buyer, the seller cannot unilaterally change the terms of the offer. In contrast, a “float offer” is a form of offer that lacks final effect and usually lacks certain key terms, providing both parties with more room for negotiation.

Practical application of virtual disk

For inquiries from new customers, it is recommended to use a more vague expression, avoid using formal words such as “quote”, and use “price” instead. You can even not mention the price directly, but provide a reference range and emphasize that the actual price may change due to order volume, payment conditions and other factors. This approach helps to attract initial interest from the customer and lays the foundation for further communication.

Quotation skills

• Low price with tail left: For larger customers or customers who are openly seeking cooperation opportunities, you can try to quote a lower price but set a higher minimum order quantity. Doing so can both stimulate customer interest and leave room for future price adjustments.
• Leave a high price: For less familiar middlemen or small buyers, adopt a higher initial quotation and promise to give discounts as the order quantity increases. This approach is suitable for situations where you want to gain trust through a professional image.

Buyer strategies

When first contacted, buyers may tentatively inquire about the prices of multiple products, but are actually only interested in a few of them. At this time, sellers should be cautious and avoid providing bundled offers too early to prevent buyers from selectively purchasing and resulting in losses.

Conclusion

Whether it is a real offer or a virtual offer, it must be converted into clear and specific terms before the transaction is finalized. Only in this way can the rights and interests of both parties be ensured not to be harmed. Correctly understanding and using these two quotation forms will help foreign trade practitioners better grasp market dynamics and increase transaction rates.

Through the above methods, foreign trade companies can not only occupy a favorable position in the fierce market competition, but also establish trust-based cooperative relationships with customers. It is worth noting that each quotation should consider the customer’s specific situation and flexibly adjust the strategy to achieve a win-win situation.