In today's highly competitive international market, finding customers is not just a task; it's a crucial survival skill. Success in international business depends not only on product quality and competitive pricing but also on your ability to push your products into global markets. In this era of globalization, finding and retaining international customers is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

For beginners taking their first steps in the field of international trade, finding international customers can be an exciting yet challenging task. Whether it's a lack of experience, unfamiliarity with international markets, or facing fierce competition, newcomers need to overcome various obstacles. In this article, we will explore some of the major challenges that newcomers might face and provide some advice to help them succeed in this competitive field.

1. Define Your Target Audience:

Establish a clear target audience based on the characteristics and needs of potential customers.

Market Research: Conduct thorough market research to understand the characteristics of your industry and target market. Get a grasp of market trends, competitors, and the demands of your target market. Here are some steps to help you conduct effective market research:

1. First, define your market research objectives. Determine what information you want to gather, such as market trends, competitive landscape, and target market demands.

2. Begin collecting secondary data. This includes searching and compiling existing market reports, industry research, competitor information, and data related to your target market. Secondary data is publicly available information that can help you get started.

3. Understand the various target markets within your industry. Identify which markets hold the most potential for your business and focus your research on those markets.

4. Gather information about your competitors, including their products or services, market share, pricing strategies, and market positioning. Analyze their strengths and weaknesses to determine your competitive strategy.

5. Engage with representatives, potential customers, or existing customers in your target market to understand their needs and expectations. Learn what they expect from your products or services to meet market demands.

6. Analyze your own business to determine your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This helps you formulate strategies to address market challenges.

(Market research is an ongoing process. Regularly update your research to track market changes and adjust your strategies.)

2. Create a Customer Persona:

Specify the characteristics and needs of your potential customers. A customer persona can include the following information:

• Basic Information: Gender, age, job positions, geographical location, company size, and more.
• Behavior: Purchasing habits, shopping channels, online behavior, etc.
• Needs: The primary reasons and needs driving their product or service purchases.
• Preferences: Their preferences for product features, pricing, brands, and more.

3. Utilize Data Tools and Analysis:

Understand the behavior and interactions of your existing and potential customers using data tools and analysis. Analyze how they interact with your customer acquisition platform to determine the most critical characteristics and needs.

4. Define Your Target Market:

Based on the customer persona, specify your target market. Determine the group of potential customers you want to attract, so you can concentrate your resources on the most promising market.

5. Develop Personalized Marketing Strategies:

Create personalized marketing strategies based on the customer persona. This may include developing specific advertising, content, email marketing, and social media strategies to meet the needs of different target audiences.

6. Understand Your Competitors:

Learn how your competitors attract potential customers to understand how your target audience differs from other brands' customers.

7. Continuously Collect and Analyze Data:

Collect and analyze data continually to understand the feedback and reactions of your target audience. Adjust your target audience and market strategies based on this feedback.

 

2. Use Tools:

Common tools in international trade include:

1. Market Analysis Tools:

• CRM Software (Customer Relationship Management): CRM software is a powerful tool for managing customer information, tracking interactions, recording sales opportunities, and building customer profiles. With CRM, you can better understand customer needs, provide personalized services, and monitor sales progress in real time, reducing manual work and improving efficiency.

2. Market Research Tools:

Market research tools include surveys, focus groups, interviews, and more. These tools help you gain in-depth insights into potential customers' needs, preferences, and buying habits. Market research allows you to gather feedback about your products or services, helping you make informed decisions for improvements.

3. Customer Acquisition Tools:

• Teng Teng Sou: Teng Teng Sou is a B2B search engine designed for international trade, focusing on the global market. It helps you find potential customers, suppliers, and market opportunities. You can search based on keywords, industries, and geographical locations, and access relevant company information. It also offers features like one-click bulk email sending, precise targeting, translation in 133 languages, and more, assisting you in quickly expanding your customer base.

• Google: Google is a powerful search engine that helps you find potential customers and market opportunities. Through keyword searches, you can discover blogs, forums, news, and social media posts relevant to your business, allowing you to understand market trends and engage potential customers.

• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a professional social media platform for building business connections. You can search for potential customers, engage in industry groups, publish content, and interact with professionals. LinkedIn is a powerful tool for building a business network.

• Facebook: Facebook is a social media platform for promoting your business and building brand awareness. Through advertising and social media marketing, you can attract potential customers and target ads based on their interests and behavior.

3. Finding Potential Customers:

Provide various avenues and channels such as social media, online markets, trade shows, and platforms to find potential customers.

1. Use free social media platforms to create professional profiles, interact, and share content.

2. Use search engines and social media for keyword searches to find potential customers and relevant contact information and content.

3. Engage in industry forums and communities, share knowledge, and build relationships.

4. Create compelling content such as blog articles to attract potential customers.

5. Use email or customer acquisition tools to send personalized emails in bulk.

6. Leverage word-of-mouth and referrals to build trust.

7. Set up online keywords to gather relevant information.

8. Clearly display contact information on multiple personal/business websites and platforms.

9. Provide high-quality products and services to stimulate word-of-mouth referrals.

While these methods don't require significant financial investment, they do require time and effort to establish an online presence and relationships, which can help you effectively find potential customers and grow your business.

 

4. Getting Started with Email Marketing:

Email marketing is a powerful customer acquisition tool but requires professionalism, sincerity, and respect to build trust and relationships. Following these guidelines can help international trade newcomers capture the attention of potential customers and create business opportunities:

1. Identify your target audience and their needs.

2. Personalize emails and mention the recipient or company information.

3. Use attention-grabbing subject lines and an easily readable format, such as short paragraphs and headings.

4. Clearly state your value proposition at the beginning and explain why they should continue reading the email.

5. Keep emails concise, highlight key information, present challenges or issues, and provide solutions.

6. Offer social proof and success stories.

7. Include a clear call to action, telling the recipient what the next steps are.

8. Provide clear contact information.

9. Test and optimize emails to ensure they display correctly on different devices.

10. Follow regulations, including anti-spam regulations.

11. Establish ongoing interaction and relationships, offering valuable information.

5. Following Up with Non-Responsive Customers:

Learn how to maintain contact with customers even when they don't respond. For detailed examples, please refer to the previous article, "Are You Making These Mistakes in Customer Follow-Up in International Trade?"

6. Pitfalls to Avoid for International Trade Beginners:

1. Being Too Hasty for Quick Gains: Expecting immediate acquisition of a large number of customers and orders while neglecting the establishment of long-term relationships.

   Advice: Adopt a patient approach, understand customer needs, gradually build trust, and don't rush for quick results.

2. Inappropriate Market Positioning: Entering markets without sufficient market research, targeting unsuitable markets, or focusing on the wrong target audience.

   Advice: Conduct thorough market research before entering a new market to understand its characteristics and demands.

3. Price Competition: Excessively lowering prices to attract customers, leading to lower profits and lower-quality customers.

   Advice: Compete based on value, not just price. Emphasize product quality and service value.

4. Neglecting Trust Building: Focusing only on transactions and ignoring the building of trust and relationships.

   Advice: Establish trust-based relationships with potential customers, providing valuable information and support.

5. Language and Cultural Barriers: Ignoring the language and cultural differences of potential customers, resulting in communication problems.

   Advice: Learn the language and culture of the target market or seek translation and cultural consulting assistance.

6. Inappropriate Market Entry Strategy: Choosing the wrong market entry strategies, such as incorrect pricing or distribution methods.

   Advice: Develop well-informed market entry strategies, considering pricing, distribution, marketing, and more.

7. Ignoring Email Marketing and Platform Channels: Neglecting the powerful email marketing and platform-based customer acquisition channels and relying solely on traditional sales methods.

   Advice: Actively utilize platform channels, including social media and email marketing, to expand your customer base.

8. Neglecting Customer Feedback: Failing to respond proactively to customer feedback and complaints.

   Advice: Take customer feedback seriously, address issues promptly, and create a satisfying customer experience.

9. Lack of Long-Term Strategy: Lack of a long-term customer development strategy, focusing only on short-term business.

10. Advice: Create a long-term customer development plan and prioritize the sustainable growth of customer relationships.

In conclusion, international trade is a complex and competitive field that requires careful planning, market research, and a focus on building relationships. By understanding your target audience, utilizing the right tools, and avoiding common pitfalls, you can improve your chances of success in the international market.