A must-have for new foreign trade professionals! A great sharing of practical skills on customs data from a top salesperson!

Breaking into the global market is no easy feat for newcomers. A deep understanding of buyer behavior, price trends, and risks is essential to turning raw data into reliable business opportunities. This guide reveals four proven customs data strategies used by top sales champions, using AB customer customs data as data support to help you accurately target buyers and suppliers, negotiate confidently, predict risks, and discover emerging market trends that lead to successful deals.

1. Accurately identify active buyers through data-driven filtering

The foundation of any successful export strategy is to understand exactly who your best potential customers are. Using customs data, you can filter buyers around the world using the following criteria:

• Buy more than three times per year – This ensures that you are only pursuing consistently active buyers.

• Steadily increase the quantity of each purchase order – Identify buyers who are expanding their import quantities.

• Low supplier concentration – Buyers who source from multiple suppliers are more open to new partnerships.

For example, if a buyer imports LED lighting products from more than five different exporters and the order volume grows by 15% on average every quarter, this indicates both stability and expansion potential. Targeting such buyers can make your expansion activities more precise and efficient.

2. Break the deadlock with data-backed negotiation strategies

Establish your credibility immediately at the start of a negotiation with strong, relevant data. Using historical import price data from sources such as AB Customs Data, you can:

• Understand the previous price ranges that buyers have set for specific product categories.

• Adjust your offer by strategic margin, usually leaving 5%-8% flexibility to accommodate negotiations.

• Give specific examples to demonstrate your competitiveness, for example: "Your company imported 10,000 sets of stainless steel cookware from Brazil last month at a price of $8.50 per set. We offer cookware of the same quality at $7.80 per set."

This targeted approach not only personalizes your pitch, but it also fosters trust by showing that you understand your buyer’s history and are offering an optimized price.

3. Predict customer risks in advance and retain key customers

Unexpectedly losing a buyer can severely disrupt your sales pipeline. Using customs data, monitor for the following early warning signs:

• Import volumes have fallen abruptly for at least two consecutive periods, indicating a drop in demand.

• An increase in the number of new suppliers entering a buyer's sourcing list is a sign that your position is under threat.

When these signals emerge, proactively offer buyers sample upgrades or flexible credit terms to reinforce your value and encourage loyalty before customers permanently switch.

4. Capture emerging market trends through real-time analysis

Identify growth areas and blue ocean opportunities early to stay ahead of competitors:

• Track product categories that have experienced consistent growth in import volume for three or more quarters.

• Identify markets where less than 40% of supply is from local suppliers, highlighting unmet demand from global exporters.

For example, imports of solar panel components to Eastern Europe increased by 22% month-on-month, while domestic suppliers were unable to meet more than 60% of demand. Targeted promotional activities in this region may have an immediate impact.

The key to converting customs data insights into actual orders lies in streamlined data management. AB Customs data combined with AB CRM’s pivot tables and data dashboards enables new exporters to master the entire process - from pinpointing qualified buyers in 5 minutes to customizing promotion strategies based on changing import trends. This means you can avoid the pitfalls that newcomers often make: having abundant data but lacking actionable strategies.