When you're just starting out in import and export, it's easy to misjudge people.

Whether it's a large client or a small one, as long as their company purchases the product, we tend to regard them as our customer. They can request quotations at any time, ask for samples, or even schedule a visit to the factory.

As newcomers to the industry with few clients, we naturally treat any buyer with procurement intentions as a potential deal. But in reality, the two are not necessarily the same.

As salespeople, we simply can't serve every client. The types of customers we can actually work with depend on our product categories, pricing, supplier production capacity, and how cooperative our partners are.

Background checks help us determine whether a client is worth investing more time in.

If they are, then we can gather more information to build a complete client profile, allowing us to provide more accurate and valuable services.

What Information Should You Look for in a Background Check?

1. Is it an individual or a company? What contact details are available?

Some clients only leave a name. You can search the name on Google to see if LinkedIn or Facebook results match the industry. The simplest method is to ask directly: “What's your company name?”

If the client provides an email like @gmail.com or @hotmail.com, you can paste the email into Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn search bars. If you find matching names and countries, you've likely found useful client information.

If it's a company email, then the domain after the "@" is likely the company website.

If all you have is a name and no other information, don't stress—just ask the client directly.

2. What is their role? Are they the owner, a purchaser, an assistant buyer, or an engineer?

LinkedIn is perfect for this. Just search the name or email on LinkedIn to find their role.

3. When was the company founded? How many employees do they have? What is their scale?

Search the company name on Google. Often, the most accurate results appear on platforms like Tendata, which provide business profiles. Different platforms may offer different types of data.

4. What type of company is it? A retailer, distributor, or end-user?

·Processor – What materials do they process? What is their final product? What relevant products might they need?

·Distributor – What kind of products do they sell? What standards and materials? What is their unique value proposition?

These selling points can be included in your outreach emails. In addition to browsing their official website, you can use Google Maps to view the company’s premises and surrounding area.

5. Have they imported from your country before? Who are their other suppliers?

Paid trade data platforms like Tendata can help. If unavailable, check if their LinkedIn connections include any of your industry peers.

6. Is the product they're inquiring about part of their regular offering, or are they exploring a new product for cooperation?

The answer is often visible on their website.

7. Do they have specific customization requirements?

You can find clues from their website or product and packaging photos on their Facebook updates.

8. What level of product quality are they looking for?

Price usually reflects quality. Every buyer says they want “good quality,” but the definition of “good” can vary widely. It’s important to determine what level of quality they actually mean.

Look at the product details on their website or images posted on social media.

Master Search Engines to Research Clients

To search effectively, use localized versions of search engines for better results:

·USA: google.com

·Russia: yandex.ru

·Brazil: google.com.br

·UK: google.co.uk

·Belarus: google.by

·Poland: google.pl

·Denmark: google.dk

·South Korea: google.co.kr

...and more.

Now it’s time to put your research into practice.

Wishing you great success with your clients!

Trade Data: Tendata has accumulated 10 billion+ trade transaction details from 228+ countries and regions, supporting one-click query of major import and export countries, customer distribution, product volume and price, etc., which helps import and export enterprises to accurately understand the global market and the trade environment of the target market.

Business Data: Tendata has a total of 500 million+ in-depth enterprise data, involving 198 countries and 230+ industry segments, covering the current operation status, financial information, product information, business relationships, intellectual property rights, etc. The data is fine, which makes it easy to assess the real strength of the target customers in depth, and expand the potential customer base.

Internet Data: Tendata's total of 850 million+ contact data, integrating social media, emails and other multi-channel contacts, helps to reach key contacts of enterprises with one click and improve the efficiency of customer development, as well as news and public opinion monitoring, which helps to grasp the Internet information in a timely manner.

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