A qualified import trade business person needs to know how to communicate with suppliers appropriately, especially when facing a supplier from another country (region).
1. Communicate with suppliers through face-to-face interviews
Face-to-face communication can help you observe the words and expressions of others and learn more about suppliers. By participating in professional exhibitions and industry forums and other activities, you can get the opportunity to communicate with suppliers face to face. When communicating with suppliers, as buyers, we must be neither humble nor arrogant, show our professionalism, and make suppliers feel that we are experts as soon as we open our mouths. At the same time, we must show our intention to purchase and our desire to cooperate, and communicate some key issues (such as products, prices, payment methods, etc.). If there is enough time, communicate as detailed as possible, and take notes of the communication so that the supplier can see your sincerity. After the exhibition, you can invite suppliers to visit the company. After the communication, the two sides exchanged business cards and took photos to lay a good foundation for further business in the future.
2. Communicate with suppliers through e-mail
Most people engaged in international trade communicate with suppliers for the first time through e-mail. In many cases, if we want to contact potential suppliers and ask about product prices, we usually choose to contact them by e-mail. Email is a very fast and convenient way of communication, and sending emails costs almost nothing, and only requires a computer connected to the Internet.
3. Communicate with suppliers through instant messaging software
Compared to the past, we can now communicate with customers more easily because there are many communication software available, such as WeChat, Skype, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, etc.
Communicating with suppliers through instant messaging software is much easier than communicating with suppliers face to face. Before you type something you want to ask, you have enough time to ensure that you use the correct vocabulary and grammar.
4. Ask suppliers by phone
Calling is a very important way of communication. If you are going to cooperate with a large company, it is recommended to communicate with them by phone once to explain your intention.
Many large companies have good sales and are in short supply. If you inquire by email, your email is likely to fall into the sea. But if you call the supplier’s sales department directly, they will be more impressed by the purchase inquiry call from China. After the call, tell the supplier when you will send the email and hope that they can reply.
Are you ready to communicate with the supplier by phone? If you are not sure, then I suggest that you do some preparation before you call the supplier.
When you call a company, you usually speak to an operator first. You must know who you want to speak to. You can browse the supplier’s website to see who is in charge of sales and write down that person’s name. If you don’t find the relevant person, then when you speak to the operator, you need to explain that you want to speak to the head of the sales department.
Many times, you need to communicate with suppliers in English, which is indeed difficult for those of us who are not native English speakers, but don’t worry that the supplier cannot fully understand what you mean. English may not be the supplier’s native language when communicating with you.