How to find new customers abroad, step by step.
Most manufacturers reach their first foreign customers by chance: at a trade fair, through a recommendation or because the customer found them on its own. Here is the route for finding them on purpose. You can walk it yourself; with us it goes faster.
Start by describing the customers you already have
The best description of a new customer is your current customers. Look at who you sold the most to last year and with whom working together runs without trouble. Write down what these customers make, how big they are and what they buy from you.
From this comes a short description: the industry, the size and the product they need. Abroad, you look for companies that are as similar to these customers as possible.
Choose one country, not five
Every country means its own language, its own habits and its own rules on whom you may write to. Start with one, preferably one where you already have a customer.
Before you choose, check three things:
- whether the country has enough companies in the industries that buy your product,
- whether you may send companies a first letter by email, or only a call and a letter by post are allowed,
- whether you can answer a question, when it comes, in their language.
Build a list of companies
The list is built from publicly available company data, trade fair catalogues, the member lists of associations and company websites. Most of the work is not collecting but cleaning: companies that have closed, companies that are already your customers and companies that do not need your product have to come off the list.
A short list of companies that fit your description is worth more than a long list of addresses from a directory.
Rank them before you write to anyone
Open each company's website and answer one question: does this company make something it needs your product for? Rank the companies from the most to the least likely buyers and start at the top.
This step is skipped most often, because it takes time. That is exactly why so many first letters get no reply.
Write the first letter in their language
The first letter is short. It says who you are, what you make and why you are writing to this company in particular, and it ends with one question. No attachments, no price list and no history of the company.
A letter in the recipient's language is more likely to be read. In every letter say how the recipient can tell you they no longer want letters, and respect that.
Reply quickly and write everything down
Answer a reply the same or the next working day. Someone who asks for a price or a sample is paying attention now, not a week later.
Write down whom you wrote to, who replied and what you promised to whom. Without this, a few weeks on you no longer know whom to call and which quote expires.
What Ventuma does of all this
You can do all of this yourself, with a spreadsheet and a mailbox. Ventuma takes most of the work off you: we build and check the list of companies in the industries that buy what you make, we rank them by how well they fit your products, and we prepare a first letter to each, in the market's language. You read the letters and approve them with one click.
The replies wait for you already read and sorted, and quotes and deals are in the same program.
Frequently asked questions
May I just write to a company abroad?
It depends on the country. In some you may send a company a first business letter by email, provided every letter lets it refuse further letters. Elsewhere only a call or a letter by post is allowed for the first contact. So choose the country before you build the list.
Do I need a special program for this?
No. For the first few dozen companies a spreadsheet and a mailbox are enough. A program pays off when the list grows and when you do not want anyone to be left without a reply.
See your market before you decide.
Send us one export of your customers and we will show you companies in your industry you have not written to yet.
We get back to you within two working days.
weekdays, 8:00 to 15:00 CET