Text | Kevin
Official number: Tess Foreign Trade Club (Tess_2006)
The author of this article is rather peculiar
He has experienced entrepreneurial success
I have also experienced corporate bankruptcy
When he succeeded, he just swallowed the jujube and watched Xiao Yi's story
After bankruptcy, I read it carefully several times.
Many people look at Xiao Yi and think that she is a successful role model.
But I don't know, the reader who feels the most
But it's those who have experienced failure.
Three years ago, when I got this set of books, because THE SOHO business was on the rise, it just swallowed the dates and then put it on the shelf.
I didn't think that when I picked up this set of books again, I had already shut down the company and returned to the starting point on the road of foreign trade.
Maybe it was because of the three years of sadness and joy, or maybe it was because during the retreat, my mind was idle, and with different visions, I was immersed in the huge flow of heart brought to me by this set of books, drifting back to the past and rushing to the future.
This set of books is called "One Man's Foreign Trade Jianghu".
01
“My kingdom, my rules.”
---Yellowstone
If life is a drama, do you want the plot and ending to be written by yourself or manipulated by others?
Xiao Yi belongs to the former, she firmly rejects the plot and ending tailored for her by her parents, and she does not want a few words to be a lifetime:
This strange woman, resolutely gave up the work arranged at home, in the unfamiliar city for ten years, single-handedly with all kinds of buyers, sellers, freight forwarders, hackers to deal with tricks, radiation products as many as 27 kinds, accumulated more than 3,000 customer resources, developed stable customers 24 people, "dead party" customers 7.
Zeng Daren Dayi sold real estate for customers, endured humiliation and burden to swim against the tide of dreams, and finally used a decent and decent way to successfully break the game and become a winner in life.
She said:
"A life that is too flat is not enough for people to think about life, some people start thinking early, and some people don't have the opportunity to think in their lifetime."
I hope I start thinking now, it's still too late.
If I can't change the length of my life, I hope to increase the depth of my life like Xiao Yi.
02
“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.”
---RogerStaubach
Whether in the process of study or work, Xiao Yi has made efforts beyond "duty". Her experience has vividly interpreted the power contained in this sentence.
As a student, she worked extra hard, avoided ineffective socializing, focused on her studies, graduated a year early, got a high certificate, and completed a second degree.
Outstanding English ability, first let customers bypass the old business, name Xiao Yi to dock the follow-up business. Later, she won the first full score ever from a Chinese-American interviewer in an interview with a large company.
She has a wealth of knowledge, ranging from Christian culture, Muslim culture, Indian surname culture, Masonic history, to Chinese and foreign classic books, Hollywood movies, and perfume blending and preparation, allowing her to communicate with customers from different cultural backgrounds with ease.
In the short term, Xiao Yi can easily gain the favor of new customers and impress with her grand knowledge system, including snooping on human nature.
In the long run, in addition to the identity of foreign trade sales, her knowledge has helped her build a hard-core cultural IP that competitors cannot easily replace.
From this perspective, foreign trade sales can be divided into two categories: one is called "Xiao Yi", and the other is called others.
As a newcomer to the industry, she places an extra emphasis on product expertise.
The first job, the first day of work she can disassemble the product, and complete the assembly in 5 minutes, shocking the supervisor, it can be seen that she did a few orders of magnitude more homework in advance than other newcomers;
For the second job, she applied for a workshop internship, doing half a day in each process, and knowing the structure and function of the product well after 7 days;
Moreover, by chatting with the workshop workers, we accidentally know which link is prone to problems and how to avoid these problems; and which processes are opaque in cost and can be adjusted according to the price.
As a foreign trade salesman, she attaches great importance to "impossible" and "unrealistic" inquiries.
Hong Kong customers want to see the sample in 3 days, but it takes at least 5 days for the company to buy materials and proof, what to do?
For Xiao Yi, this is just a pass on the road, not the end, when others abandon the pass and surrender, she is still mobilizing resources, accumulating strength, and striving for the next city.
The customer not only received the sample on time, but finally Xiao Yi used this sample to grab 43 high-cabinet orders worth 3 million US dollars from the top three companies in the industry.
Spare no effort in everything, first seek to enter the game, and then have the opportunity to be small and broad.
Near the End of the Spring Festival, Polish customers have to send out 3 sets of samples within 3 days to participate in the exhibition 10 days later.
The factory has taken a holiday a month in advance, and the resumption of work will be after the Lantern Festival, and 3 days later, the domestic DHL, UPS, FedEx will also be on holiday, what to do?
This is just a checkpoint, Xiao Yi is in a hurry, as scheduled to get the model, but the customer requires air shipment first, sample fee and air freight immediately remitted but 3 days to arrive, may be discounted, how to do?
This is another level, blocking others but not Xiao Yi's level.
Xiao Yi paid all the expenses to send the model to the plane, which won the trust of customers.
At the end of the show, the customer went down to a high cabinet, and this customer eventually became one of her seven dead parties.
In the process of foreign trade, we will encounter various checkpoints, some called "company regulations", some called "scope of responsibility", some called "we are small/large companies", some called "impossible to negotiate", some called "powerless", some called "scammer a three", some called "money loss and trading"...
I began to think about how many of these pseudo-concepts and stereotypes were still at work in my head, quietly setting up barriers for me without me knowing it.
Thinking of this, I can't help but shiver...
The door of failure is wide, and there are many people walking through; the door of success is narrow, and there are fewer people passing by, so it is necessary to walk an extra mile and try to enter the narrow door.
03
“Always make good better.”
--- Xiaoyi
Businessmen are first of all profit-seeking, but in the face of the situation of equal weight of interests, businessmen will also follow the feelings and preferences.
The most contacted by customers is foreign trade sales, foreign trade sales are first of all their own façade, and then the company's façade.
Foreign trade sales to build their own IP in terms of language ability, professional skills, cultural literacy;
The company needs to pay attention to and build its own foreign trade team, because the foreign trade sales are the IP that the company walks.
When Xiao Yi chooses suppliers, if the quotations received are comparable, it is also a priority to give priority to foreign trade sales with a good impression.
Therefore, as a foreign trade sales, we must always turn good into better.
On the supply side, if the suppliers we "cooperate" with (working in the factory I also think it is a cooperative relationship) do not have a scale advantage, then they are required to attack one more hurdle in the quality of the product, so that they can still win the favor of customers, because customers sell high-quality products to earn goodwill, which is the biggest profit.
Tribeca Grill is an evergreen tree in the American catering industry, Xiao Yi sighed when eating here: "In any industry, only high-quality service and high-quality products can form a good reputation, thereby attracting and forming a stable customer (group). ”
On the sales side, we must first deconstruct the pseudo-concepts in our heads and learn Xiao Yi's reverse thinking, such as:
- "Buying and selling are inherently equal, so no one has to accommodate anyone",
- "The buyer gives the seller a gift, and the buyer gives the seller a commission";
Also be wary of habits of thought that most people share, such as:
"Most people are willing to give their all for the things that see hope, and those things that are uncertain or cannot be grasped, very few people will put in a hundred percent effort, let alone those things that are completely uncertain."
Second, take off your colored glasses and take each inquiry seriously. Regardless of the market area, the number is, actively investigate the establishment time of the customer company, address, number of employees, procurement data, tax payment, sales of the target product in the market, give an accurate quotation or recommend a model with a higher match with the target market.
Even if the offer is in the sea, develop the habit of going further and you have taken a step closer than others from the narrow door.
Third, we must always turn the good into the better, and let the customer know that we are "working beyond our duty" .
This is an important part of creating a personal IP for foreign trade sales, otherwise customers will take the results of our efforts for granted, and over time will become accustomed to it.
The more we do, the less the customer does, the more sticky he is to us, and the higher the cost of switching costs, the more both sides benefit.
Finally, I wonder, is there anything else higher than to make a profit?
I think there is, and the answer is like the customer's evaluation of Xiao Yi:
"After feeling like I'm with you, I don't have to think about other things, just tell you the results I want, and leave the rest to you to do, no matter what, I won't suffer anyway." 」
With this article, I would like to pay tribute to all the foreign traders who are fighting in the front line of foreign trade and overcoming many difficulties!
Tess says:
When Kevin emailed me, he attached a screenshot of the chat he had contacted me for the first time.
Seeing this chat screenshot, I thought of that time, the owner of a foreign trade software company, Qi Li (now renamed "Qi Zhongxi"), was gathering a small team of three people to report "One Man's Foreign Trade Jianghu" involving pornography, blackness and illegal sales.
As far as this person is concerned, it is estimated that the name of Qili is not good, and it is necessary to change a vest.
And I'm cooperating with the Zhongshan Cultural Law Enforcement Bureau to deal with this.
Thank you Kevin for still chasing my book at that time and for carefully reading Volumes One and Two.
Because if he didn't read it carefully, he couldn't quote the original words in the book.
Through this post-reading feeling, it can be seen that he has a deep understanding of the business. Since thought determines action, his career must have a comeback day.
Looking forward to one day, he will write a post-reading feeling as a successful person.
Yesterday, the group owner sent a notice of membership renewal in January, and more than 100 people took the initiative to renew within one day.
This shows that our members are active and always pay attention to group information.
On the other hand, it also shows that members and Club are getting sticky.
This also seems to be a compliment to me, proving that I have run The Club quite well