The most expensive tuition fees in foreign trade are those paid to "orders that have not been backtracked": customers do not mention the goods arriving in Hong Kong, the final payment is delayed, and the samples sent out are worthless. Most losses can be warned before the quotation--You don't need to spend a lot of money to back tune. With five free channels and three red lights, you can get a rough idea of a strange buyer in half a day.This article gives a set of procedures that can be followed directly.
1. Why should back-tune be done before quoting
The purpose of the back-regulation is not to refuse customers, but to grade: normal quotations and normal deposit periods for reliable buyers; risk clauses are imposed on suspicious buyers-increase the deposit ratio, require a spot letter of credit, and control the first batch of quantities. The biggest problem with quoting first and then adjusting is that the price and accounting period have already been given, and recycling it will be a breach of face; and quoting after quoting again, the risk clause can be written into the plan naturally, and the customer will not feel offended.
It is recommended to solidify the background into a process: new customers must make the first quotation before making, and old customers must review it once a year (the company's operating conditions will change, especially during the industry downturn).
2. Five free channels, check in order
- Channel 1: Company registration information.Most countries have public enterprise registration inquiry systems that use the customer's company name or registration number to check the establishment date, registered capital, directors, and operating status. If it cannot be found or the status is abnormal (cancellation, business suspension), it will be directly eliminated. There are different entrances from country to country. You can find the official entrance by searching with "country name +company registry".
- Channel 2:customs dataCross validation.Use the buyer's company name to check the import records on the customs data platform: whether there was any real import behavior, what category was imported, how big the magnitude was, and which countries the purchase was made. Those who claim to purchase millions of dollars a year but have few customs records will claim a discount. Combined with the channel, this step can identify half of the fake buyers.
- Channel 3: Official website and domain name information.See whether the business description of the official website matches the purchase demand, and use the domain name query tool to see the registration period of the domain name. The old domain name that has been done for more than ten years is more credible than the domain name that has just been registered for a few months. It is also basic that the official website mailbox domain name is consistent with the corporate domain name.
- Channel 4: LinkedIn and Social Media.Check the company's homepage and contacts on LinkedIn: whether the number of employees, years of service, and contact position match the business. If the purchasing manager has been in office for a long time and the company's homepage information is complete and continuous, the probability of real business is high; if the contact information is new and there is only one title without history, be cautious.
- Channel 5: Third-party credit identification.Ask the customer for a D-U-N-S number (Dun and Bradstreet code, a standard identification code for many overseas companies) or a certification level on the B2B platform. Regular buyers usually don't mind offering; hesitation is a signal in itself.
3. Three red light signals, risk control must be upgraded when any one occurs
- Red light 1: The payment method requirements are abnormal.Normal buyers accept the industry practice of a deposit plus a final payment; those who initially require full credit sales, require payment methods that are inconsistent with their country's risks, or insist on payment through a third-party company or freight forwarder, stop. The inconsistency between the payment path and the company entity is a high-incidence scenario of whether or not to collect money.
- Red light 2: Identity information does not match.The contact email address is a free email address and has nothing to do with the company's domain name. The company name cannot be found in the registration system and customs data. The purchase category has nothing to do with its official website business. Two of the three items can basically determine that it is not a serious purchase.
- Red light 3: The level of urgency is abnormal.The order volume far exceeds the level of its import record, the samples are rushed urgently but video inspections are avoided, and the technical parameters are not concerned only about prices and rebates-real procurement has a normal decision-making rhythm, and abnormal urgency often points to scams or reselling.
4. How to use the backtracking results: Level 3 disposal
After the back-adjustment, the buyers will be disposed of in three levels.Green:Registration information, customs records, and social media verify each other, quote normally, and the accounting period is given in accordance with the company's standard policies.Yellow:Some information cannot be matched or the procurement history is weak, and the price is normal but the risk is escalated-the deposit is increased to more than 30%, the first batch of quantity is controlled, and the account period is changed to a sight letter of credit or a pre-T/T.Red:If you hit the red light signal, you will directly refuse or only make a small order with a full prepayment to test the water, and send the sample fee until it reaches your account.
A final reminder: The record of backtracking should be kept on file-what was found, when was checked, and what the conclusions were should be written into the customer's file. On the one hand, there is no need to double check when working in a team. On the other hand, in case of a dispute, these records are materials that prove that you have exercised reasonable care.
common problems
1. 1. After checking all five channels, will it be safe?
Not absolute. What is screened out is obvious risks and cannot replace risk control at the transaction level: the first batch of orders is controlled at a reasonable level, the account period is gradually liberalized, and export credit insurance is insured. These three things are followed. The background determines the starting point, and the transaction record determines how much you dare to give him.
2. 2. What should I do if the customer is unwilling to provide company registration information?
Regular buyers will not be disgusted with such requests, so they can put it first: "Our company has a standard pre-cooperation review process for new customers, and we need to check your company's registration information. Please understand. "Putting it in the name of a process is easier to accept than asking for a single point. What you insist on not providing is a yellow signal.
3. 3. What should I do if information cannot be found in the business registration system of small and medium-sized countries?
Cross-verification of changing paths: whether there are import records in customs data, whether there are real employees on LinkedIn, whether there are traces of cooperation with well-known companies, and whether the D-U-N-S number can be found. Multiple weak signals confirm each other and have more judgment value than the lack of a single channel; if still cannot be judged, risk clauses will be made according to the yellow level.
--Qihang AI Foreign Trade Research Institute·Let China Intelligent Manufacturing Set sail to the sea| Foreign trade customer consultation: 180-0327-6609
