At the BIG 5 Dubai exhibition , to be honest, there was still some fatigue. Just as our steps became heavy, a hurried figure suddenly blocked my way and said, “Hello, friend, come and let’s add a WeChat account.”
I looked up in shock and saw a middle-aged man with a boss like appearance, who said with a hint of urgency, “Fortunately, you didn’t go far.”
For a moment, I froze in place, unsure of how to respond.
“Fortunately, you haven’t gone far yet,” the other party said bluntly. “I heard that you can provide supplier development and quality inspection services for hardware and other building materials products?”
I nodded, but before I could inquire about the situation, he pointed to the place we had just passed by and spoke quickly, “I am the person in charge of the company over there, specializing in the import of building materials. When you arrived just now, I happened to be at another booth. When I came back, I heard our receptionist talk about your situation and even showed me this brochure.”
As he spoke, he raised the fold in his hand and waved it, Slightly excited: This is our big problem. We happen to have plywood and hardware building materials products to purchase, and the ones we bought in Guangzhou before are not suitable for the Middle East market. It’s not a problem to constantly trouble suppliers to purchase on behalf of us, and the cost is also high, which is a headache! As soon as I heard about it, I quickly caught up. Otherwise, I’ll add you to WeChat first. I’ll have my colleagues send you the plywood and hardware building materials product numbers now. Can you please help me Can you help me check first
When I heard the other person say so much in one breath and take the initiative to add me to WeChat, I was momentarily stunned. Then I nodded and took out my phone to add WeChat, and communicated the follow-up matters.
A month ago, the company decided to send us to participate in the upcoming BIG 5 exhibition in Dubai. Colleagues unanimously believe that most of the exhibitors and importers at this exhibition are home building materials manufacturers specializing in the import and export market, which is the importer that will have a headache for home building materials procurement. Our new business can help them solve this problem.
Because most of our company’s suppliers are in the artificial board and home building materials industry, especially for after-sales home building materials enterprises, we are probably the most familiar and understanding international quality inspection and sourcing team in the industry for home building materials hardware, artificial board and board factories, and the after-sales market of artificial board and board.
Over 20 years of operation have established deep trust with many suppliers in the artificial board, furniture, hardware, and building materials industries. They firmly believe in our professionalism and dedication, and we always approach suppliers from their perspective, assisting them in planning import and export routes and plans, and helping them reduce costs.
But when I really came to the exhibition, facing a dazzling array of various parts and densely packed booths, I inexplicably felt a bit lacking in confidence. Even though we know that we had already made a lot of preparations before coming this time, and that the company has been dedicated to polishing the procurement project of artificial board, home building materials for over a year, the process has been verified, and multiple routes have also been developed and matured, we still feel a bit scared.
After hesitating, I arrived at the entrance of the exhibition. Several colleagues and I exchanged a glance, encouraged each other, and secretly thought to ourselves, “What are we afraid of?” We have colleagues who have a deep understanding of the after-sales industry for artificial board panels, a professional and enthusiastic team, and services that can effectively solve supplier problems. Why should we be timid?
Since we have done our best in our work, it is time to test the results. With such a mentality, I mustered up the courage and bravely stepped into the exhibition.
Firstly, we arrived at Hall 4, where the exhibitors and importers were relatively small in scale. Colleagues familiar with the artificial board market and home building materials products also took the lead and led our group to a booth where shock absorbers were made. We calmly picked up each other’s products and chatted confidently.
In just a few words, I have gained a general understanding of the other party’s products, SKUs, and export markets, and can also judge whether the other party has pain points and needs in home building materials procurement based on this.
When communicating with colleagues, I assisted and supplemented information while also learning communication skills. As I walked down several booths, I gradually opened up and actively negotiated with exhibitors and importers in need.
We, who were originally worried about being rejected, went beyond expectations in actual communication. Exhibitors and importers, upon learning that we specialize in sourcing and quality inspection of home building materials, suddenly became enlightened and exclaimed that this is their biggest challenge. They even took the initiative to learn more information from us, and I regained my confidence in facing familiar business through a series of visits.
Of course, there are also some suppliers who, although willing to understand our business, still hold a skeptical attitude:
“Are you professional?” “Is the purchasing channel reliable?” “Can you really find the product I’m looking for?” “Don’t overcharge, right?”
These are all key issues that everyone is urgently concerned about, and that’s why we need to polish them over a year and make more than ten successful purchases before we dare to officially launch this business and bring it to the exhibition.
We have answered everyone’s questions one by one and conducted in-depth discussions with manufacturers on the after-sales market of products, artificial board panels, home building materials, hardware, and other products. Not only have we successfully dispelled doubts, but we have also added WeChat to each other, becoming trustworthy partners.
Of course, small setbacks are inevitable.
Sometimes when encountering exhibitors and importers who do not currently have knowledge about home building materials procurement, or when encountering people who are resistant to reverse sales, they will be unable to smoothly introduce their business to each other, and can only strive to leave contact information and product introduction brochures.
And I am also aware in my heart that people come and go at the exhibition, and exhibitors and importers are also very busy. The contact information and folding pages left at this time are likely to sink into the sea and cannot reach the suppliers.
We are even a bit anxious for each other. Some salespeople may not truly understand the internal development work of the company. If the after-sales enterprise cannot continue to develop and provide rich services, its competitiveness will be greatly reduced. In the after-sales market, we can only follow the baton of the foreign trade company and eat some leftovers. But there’s no other way. The butt determines the head, we just need to do our best.
When feeling regretful, suddenly, in the noisy environment around, someone seemed to repeat “Hello? Hello?”. My colleagues also quickly patted my shoulder, indicating that I would turn back.
Turning around, I saw a strange face, but in my hand was something familiar – our product introduction brochure. I immediately realized that this might be an importer I missed before.
In the two days of the exhibition, I had contact with over a hundred target importers and suppliers, big and small. All of them were me who took the initiative to add them on WeChat. I didn’t expect to encounter a situation where the suppliers caught up and actively added me. There were some surprises, but more importantly, it was touching and strengthened my determination to promote this business as much as possible.
It is said that the current economic situation is not good, with strong domestic competition, meager profits, and strict suppliers. But what we feel is full of harvest and emotion.
As long as we can truly stand from the perspective of suppliers and importers, solve problems for everyone, create value with professionalism, and treat suppliers with sincerity, we don’t have to worry about rejection.
This is also our team’s consistent philosophy: treat people with sincerity and create value with professionalism!
On our future journey, we will continue to provide excellent services and solve supply chain and overseas challenges for the after-sales market of home building materials, constantly moving forward.
