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2025-08-11
These days, expecting Alibaba International Station to handle all your client acquisition needs is as naive as a toddler still on milk. It's not uncommon to go weeks, even months, without any inquiries. Many have burned money for years with no visible results—this is not bad luck; it's the norm.
Alibaba International Station is essentially a money-burning casino. Membership fees, P4P, RFQ, top ads—all cost money. The platform controls traffic flow, and you have to play by its rules. Traffic costs rise while conversion rates drop—this is an open secret. They tell you the “future is promising” just to keep you paying.
In reality, platform competition is fierce, the global economy is slowing, buyers are more cautious, and countless competitors fight hard on prices. How big a splash can you make by throwing money in? Making any splash at all is good; many barely even create ripples.
As for the quality of inquiries, you know the truth—mostly small or scattered orders, competitors fishing for info, or unreliable quotes. Expecting a single inquiry to convert into a major client? Dream on. Winning large deals in export-import client acquisition requires either an outstanding product or exceptional sales skills, or pure luck.
So instead of complaining about no inquiries, ask yourself:
·Besides burning money on Alibaba, what else are you doing for client acquisition?
·Does your product have core competitiveness?
·Are your salespeople professional and timely in follow-up?
·Are your prices competitive?
Relying solely on one platform means putting all your eggs in one basket. In export-import, especially on unpredictable digital platforms, avoiding pitfalls is lucky; expecting a safety net is unrealistic.
You must take initiative, not wait passively. Besides Alibaba, you have other weapons for customer acquisition: trade data, trade shows, social media marketing, EDM emails, Google SEO/SEM, even offline visits. The more channels you deploy, the stronger your risk resistance.
Stop obsessing over those few measly inquiries. Data can deceive; look at conversion rates and profits to find value. Inquiries without profit are just paper. Real valuable clients either come to you or require effort to uncover.
Alibaba is just a tool, and an increasingly expensive one at that. It's no longer the magic wand for explosive growth. It's just one of many client acquisition channels, and maybe not the most efficient.
Wake up—does your company overly depend on one platform, ignoring core competitiveness, market expansion, and risk management? When platform rules change, where else can you go?
Successful client acquisition needs multi-channel efforts.
One client selling pet supplies started with LinkedIn posts, which got little attention. Then they made factory tour videos and product demos on YouTube; one video brought in two orders a month, and now business is booming. That's the power of multi-channel layout in export-import client acquisition.
If passive waiting is too slow, try proactive development. Trade data is a powerful tool.
For example, with smartphone accessories (HS:85177030), Tendata trade data lets you get buyer lists with one click—client names, purchase amounts, quantities, frequencies, recent purchase intervals. You can focus resources on active, high-value buyers for precise follow-up.
Better yet, you can analyze clients' products, quantities, order totals, supply chains, import regions, etc., to judge development value and find the best approach and timing for cooperation.
Tendata trade data also provides verified decision-maker contacts, including phone, email, LinkedIn, Facebook, saving you time and improving reach.
The conclusion is simple: Alibaba isn't omnipotent, nor necessarily the best. Multi-channel, proactive strategies and core competitiveness are the lasting bottom line for export-import client acquisition. Waiting for the platform to “feed” you? That's just a dream.
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