How to Find Customer Resources in Foreign Trade? A Comprehensive Guide (Practical and Practical Version)

Newcomers to the foreign trade industry are often confused about where to find clients. This article is a hands-on guide that breaks down the process of landing your first client from scratch. I'll use the real-world strategies of seasoned foreign trade professionals (drawing on the experience and replicable actions of several top sellers) to outline the steps and provide sales pitches to help you avoid detours.

1. 30 minutes before the start: decide who to sell to

Purpose: Selecting the right customer group is more effective than sending 100 more emails.

1. Make a list of your “products to sell”

Core categories/models, available materials and specifications

Minimum order quantity (MOQ), affordable proofing costs, standard delivery time, and available certifications (such as ISO/CE/REACH)

3 differentiations: such as "small batch mixed packaging, 7-day proofing, and support for customized packaging"

2. Create an ICP profile (ideal customer profile)

Country/Region → Tariff/Logistics Friendliness

Customer Type → Importer/Distributor/Brand/Constructor/E-commerce

Purchasing Role → Purchasing Manager / Sourcing / Owner

Pain points → Stable price, reliable delivery, complete certification, low MOQ, alternative to original supply

2. Finding words will help you find people: Keywords & HS codes

• Primary keyword : Common product name (hex bolts/fasteners)

• Long-tail keywords : application + standard + material (“ISO 4017 bolts EN15048 stainless”)

• Local language : Buyers search more accurately in their native language (Polish "śruby" = bolt)

• HS Code : used on customs/data websites (e.g. 731815 = parts of fasteners)

Efficient search syntax (directly available)

• intitle:importer "fasteners" filetype:pdf (Purchasing catalog/supplier list)

• site:*.pl "hex bolts" importer OR distributor (domain name of a certain country + target word)

• site:linkedin.com/in "Purchasing Manager" "fasteners" (Find a purchasing manager)

• site:company.com email / @company.com "firstname.lastname" (guess email address)

3. 10 channels, ranked from easy to difficult according to "free → low cost → paid"

1. Google/Bing Advanced Search (free, see syntax above)

2. Exhibition/Association Directory : Official directory often contains purchasing/distribution information (searchable online in PDF/Excel format)

3. Competing product websites : Find “Distributors/Partners/Where to buy” and reverse dig channels

4. B2B platforms : Alibaba International Station/MIC/GlobalSources (used for verification and lead generation )

5. LinkedIn : Use Boolean search (e.g. (purchasing OR buyer) AND fasteners AND (importer OR distributor) )

6. Local language Yellow Pages/Chamber of Commerce : such as "Chamber of Commerce + industry term"

7. Import records/trade data : Trademap, ImportYeti, AB customer customs data , etc. (to find out "who is continuously importing a certain product")

8. Bidding website : Government or large enterprise procurement announcements (with specifications and contacts)

9. Industry forums/FB groups/Reddit : See "Seeking supplier recommendations/problems encountered"

10. Press Release & Recruitment : Companies recruiting for "Purchasing/Supply Chain" often do so during the window period of expanding production or changing suppliers.

Golden sentence of experience: "Follow the money" - those who can continue to import, expand production and bid are the ones who may place orders in the near future.

4. "8-step SOP" of experienced foreign trade professionals: from search to first touch

Step 1: Collect clues

• Set aside 1-2 hours every day to capture 20-50 "company domain-level leads" using the above syntax.

• Just remember the company and official website , don’t look for people first, speed is the first priority.

Step 2: Quick decision

• Look at "product matching/country/whether there is a distribution network/whether there is a tender/news" and give it an A/B/C grade .

• A = Highly matched and can be reached immediately; B = Potential opportunity; C = Archived.

• All customer leads are entered into AB Customer CRM , intelligently categorized, and automatic follow-up reminders are set up.

Step 3: Find the right person & email

• Official website About/Team/Contact, LinkedIn, press releases;

• Email rule guesses: firstname@domain , first.last@domain , f.lastname@domain ;

• Verification : Send a test email to multiple guessed addresses and select the one that does not bounce; or use a contact form + LinkedIn dual reach.

Step 4: First Reach (Email)

• Topic: Results + Differentiation (e.g. EN15048 bolts | 7-day samples & small MOQ )

• Main body structure (100–150 words): Introduction → One sentence → Three pieces of evidence (certifications/customers/specifications) → One clear CTA (“Can you share the latest specifications/annual purchase volume?”)

• The attachment should be as short as possible (one page for product/summary of qualifications).

Step 5: Multi-channel parallel

• Day 0 Email → Day 3 LinkedIn → Day 7 Second Email → Day 14 WhatsApp/Phone → Day 21 Clarification of Objections → Day 28 Breakup Letter

Step 6: Follow-up Talk (Refined Version)

• Second envelope (case + sample pack) :

  Hi {Name}, sharing a 1-pager and a client case in {market}. We can ship a small sample kit within 7 days. Would {qty/spec} work to evaluate?

• Clarification of objections (price/delivery time/certification) :

  If price is the main concern, we can quote 2 options (market grade vs premium). For lead time, we keep {X} days for standard specs; certifications attached.

• Breakup letter :

  If timing isn't right, happy to keep as a backup vendor. May I follow up in {month}? Anyone else on your team I should contact?

Step 7: Qualification Review (BANT+Five Questions)

• Budget, decision-making power, real needs, timeline;

• Five questions: quantity, specifications/standards, certification, packaging/labeling, place of delivery/trade terms.

Step 8: Sample → Quotation → Trial Order

• Break the quote into “economy/standard/high-end” to reduce negotiation friction;

• The trial order uses a " small and repeatable " structure: first stabilize the small batch, and then increase the volume in a rolling manner.

5. Message database for direct copying (Chinese and English)

Cold Email 1 (First Reach, around 100 words)

Subject: {产品/标准} with {证书/交期} for {国家/应用}
Hi {Name},
We manufacture {product + key parameters}. For {application/market}, our clients choose us for {differentiation 1/2/3}.
• Certifications: {ISO/CE/REACH…}
• Lead time: {X} days | Small MOQ | Custom packaging
Could you share {current specifications/annual purchase volume/certification requirements}? Happy to send a 7-day sample kit.
Best, {your name/title/company/website}

Cold Email 2 (Examples + Samples)

Subject: Case in {market}: {product} reduced {pain point result}
Hi {Name}, here is a 1-pager and a client case in {market}. If specs match, we'll arrange samples within 7 days. When is good to align details?

Follow up after quotation

• 48h: Confirm receipt → whether alternative specifications are required

• 5–7 days: Add three levels of “Economy/Standard/Premium” → “Are you willing to start with {minimum trial order quantity}?”

• 14 days: Request for evaluation results → Provide payment and delivery milestones

LinkedIn Add Friend Notes

Noticed you handle {category} sourcing at {Company}. We provide {differentiation} with {certification/small MOQ}. Open to connect?

WhatsApp first reached

Hi {Name}, this is {your name} from {company}. Sent an email about {product/standard}. We can ship a small sample kit in 7 days. Is {time} ok for a 10-min check?

6. Real Play from 0 to 1 (Retrospective)

Background : A hardware factory in South China, specializing in EN15048 bolts, with small batches of mixed goods and 7-day proofing.

Goal : Get the first trial order from a European customer within 30 days.

• D1–D3 : Using intitle:importer "fasteners" filetype:pdf 86 Polish/German distributors were screened out; A/B/C classification → 22 Class A distributors.

• D4–D7 : Guess email addresses + LinkedIn to find people, reaching a total of 22 companies (email + LinkedIn in parallel); 9 read, 4 replied .

• D8-D14 : 2 sealed cases + sample packs; arrange 2 companies to make samples; 1 company feedback requires EN certificate review → all sent out on the same day.

• D15–D21 : There are three quotation levels (Economy/Standard/Premium), and customers can place a minimum trial order of US$3,000 .

• D22–D28 : Confirm packaging/labels/barcodes; the other party asks “Can the delivery time be reduced by 5 days?” → Solve with “partial delivery first + air transportation to fill the gap”.

• D29–D30 : Receive PI advance payment, first order completed. Repeat purchases in the next 3 months increase to $20k/month .

There are only three key points: knowing how to screen, knowing how to follow, and knowing how to turn small orders into big orders .

7. Tools and Configuration (Lightweight, Enough)

• Email domain name : independent domain + SPF/DKIM/DMARC; simple signature and clean landing page.

• CRM/Forms : We recommend using AB Customer CRM (basic version is free) or HubSpot Free/Streak.

• Material package : one-page company profile (PDF), 3-page product brochure, scanned copies of certifications, and 2 customer case studies.

• The file name is : Company_Product_Standard_V1_日期.pdf , which is convenient for customers to forward internally.

8. Common Pitfalls & Compliance

• Ask one CTA at a time , don’t cram three questions into one email.

• Avoid the smell of templates in mass mailings : the subject and the first sentence must be "customized".

• Frequency : 4–6 times within 30 days for the same person, interspersed through multiple channels.

• Compliance : Respect unsubscribe policies; do not collect sensitive personal information; respect the scope of use of trademarks and certifications.

• Quotation structure : Try to have three levels to give the other party room for internal price comparison.

• Sample fee : Set it as “refundable” or “partially refundable” to lower the transaction threshold to the lowest level.

9. 30-Day Action List (Follow and you’ll be up and running)

• Week 1 : Determine product selling points → Complete ICP → Generate 50 company-level leads → Select 20 Class A leads → Create a table

• Week 2 : Find people and email addresses → Send first contact → Create a material package → Send second email (case + sample)

• Week 3 : Follow-up calls/WhatsApp → Promoting samples → Collecting specifications → Preparing three tiers of quotations

• Week 4 : Negotiation → PI → First order execution → Summary and review → Establish repeat purchase rhythm

Quantitative goals (newbie-friendly)

• 20–30 new company-level leads per day

• First reach 40–60 people per week

• Read rate 25%+ , response rate 5–10% , sample conversion 10–20%

• Get 1-3 trial orders in 30 days

10. Put these words/steps into your schedule

1. Morning : 1 hour to search for companies → 20 results; 30 minutes to finalize and record the results

2. Afternoon : 1 hour to find people and send the first contact; 30 minutes to follow up on the second/third email

3. Evening : 15 minutes on LinkedIn/WhatsApp to catch up on contacts; 15 minutes to review KPIs