Have you ever seen this on TV?
Someone rich and influential rocks up to a ‘fully booked out’ restaurant … and somehow gets a table in the house while everyone else is turned away?
Or goes to a casino and gets shown a special door where the real high-rollers play.
Or gets a quote from a Chinese supplier and gets the rock bottom price instead of the high price everyone else gets charged.
Hang on! That last one’s not from TV. It’s actually real life.
So, how can you be in the ‘in-crowd’ and get the professional importer’s price while others get the ‘novice’ price?
It’s like this.
You see, the Chinese have an inbuilt radar . And they’ll sniff out a novice a mile away. So the first thing to do is not ask novice questions.
Otherwise – BANG! They’ve got you.
You have to look like a seasoned professional. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression ‘fake it before you make it’.
It means making people think you’re a seasoned professional even if it’s your first time. And of course it’s in the questions you ask.
Ask the right questions and they know they’d better come up with the best goods and the best price or you’ll go elsewhere.
So what’s the right way to do it?
Seasoned importer Brendan Elias as a special series of questions he asks. These questions aren’t only for getting information.
If you’re a beginner importer you must ask these 3 questions.
Not only do you get valuable information, you also position yourself as an experienced importer, even if you’re a raw beginner.
Make sure you do this. Follow the system – it works!
Here are 3 of the questions you must use:
- What markets do you sell to?
This is helpful because if they’ve sold to several international markets, it means they’ve probably met a lot of the standards you’ll need them to meet. Particularly if they’ve sold to the USA - What is your minimum order quantity, and can you quote FOB prices?
This is a typical question from an experienced importer, and using importing terminology you come across as an expert. And that means they’ll treat you like one - Can you send me a sample via my DHL account?
This tells them you do this often.
These 3 questions mean you get the royal treatment, and more importantly you get the best prices.