After sending a development letter, if the foreign trade customer says "no demand at the moment", how can we continue to follow up and easily get a million-dollar order?

Are you feeling lost when a customer says, "No demand at the moment"? Giving up is a fear of missing out on a potential prospect, while forcing a follow-up can be annoying. According to HubSpot data, 80% of sales require at least five follow-ups to close a deal , while over 70% of foreign trade professionals give up after just two follow-ups. This means that as long as you adhere to a scientific follow-up approach, you'll outperform most of your peers. This article will analyze the entire process from customer rejection to order completion, drawing on real-world examples.

🔎 1. Diagnosis first, then prescription: 8 hidden meanings when a customer says “no need”

Don't be fooled by superficial rejections . 20 years of experience has proven that 60% of "no"s are actually the following invisible signals:

• “Your solution didn’t hit my pain point” (highest percentage!)

  Customers are at different stages of the decision-making chain: the research phase focuses on technical specifications and use cases, the evaluation phase focuses on ROI and risk, and the decision phase focuses on trust endorsements. 3 Sending a ton of promotions to customers in the research phase is bound to fall on deaf ears.

• “I have suppliers and it’s too expensive to switch.”

  Existing buyers often refuse due to "path dependency." In this case, you need to create incremental value , such as: "We fully understand your trust in your existing partners, but our smart inventory system can help you reduce warehousing costs by an additional 15%."

• "You came to me at the wrong time"

  A customer might be facing production line relocation, a change in purchasing agent, or policy adjustments. An empathetic email can rekindle the conversation: "We understand the pressures you're facing in adjusting your business. I've attached an explanation of the new tariff policy in country XX for your reference."

• “I need more information to make a decision”

  Silence can be a sign of decision-making bottlenecks. Data shows that customers who open emails multiple times but don't respond have a 35% conversion rate for follow-up calls .

▶ Action Tips :

• Check email open rate: if there is no reply >3 times, call;

• LinkedIn digs deep into background: Is there a promotion or project change?

• Send a lightweight questionnaire: "Take 1 minute to help us optimize our service" 📊.

⚡ 2. Follow-up Practice System: Four Steps to Help Customers Go from "No Need" to "Quick Signing"

Step 1: Breaking the Ice and Rebuilding Trust (Days 3-7) — Avoiding Sales Tricks and Rebuilding Connections with Value

✧ Tactical Core : Replace Pushing with “Non-Sales Care”

• Case : After a client rejected their offer, a machinery exporter sent a competitive product analysis report for the target market. Two weeks later, they received a reply: "This is exactly what we need!"

• Script template :

Subject: [Industry] Insight: How XX Company Saved 12% Logistics Costs
“Hi [Name], not following up on our quote, but thought you'd find this case valuable: [Local Client] cut costs by optimizing XX. Full report attached for your reference. No reply needed – just sharing useful info!”

Topic: [Industry] Insight: How did XX Company reduce its logistics costs by 12%?

"Hello [name], I'm not trying to pressure you to reply, but you might be interested in this case study: [local client] reduced costs by optimizing XX. Attached is the full report for your reference. No reply necessary—just sharing your value!"

Step 2: Planting the Hook to Inspire Interaction (Days 14-21) — Using “Social Proof” to Spark Interest

✧ Tactical Core : Let a Third Party Speak for You

• Attached is a video testimonial from regional customers (Middle Eastern customers prefer live videos);

• Design multiple-choice questions instead of open-ended questions : "Are you more concerned about A (cost) B (delivery time) C (quality)?" The response rate increased by 50%;

• Script template :

Subject: Quick question from [Your Company] about [Industry Trend]
“Hi [Name], our team just helped [Similar Client] solve [Problem]. Based on your operations, which challenge is most critical now?

A. Reducing lead time B. Cutting material costs C. Meeting new compliance standards
One letter reply helps us serve you better!”

Subject: [Your company] quick consultation on [Industry trends]

"Hello [title], we just helped [similar customer] solve [problem]. Based on your company's business, what is the most pressing issue right now?
A. Shorten delivery time B. Reduce material costs C. Meet new compliance standards
Just reply with a letter to help us provide accurate service! ”

Step 3: Cross-channel Activation (Day 28) — Email + Social Media Combination

✧ Tactical core : Building a professional image through multiple touchpoints

• LinkedIn : Like a customer update and comment: "We helped Company A solve the XX challenge you mentioned using [solution]"

• WhatsApp : Send a 30-second video of your product in action (3x more click-through rate than text).

• Phone Script :

"Hello [Name], I'm [Name] from [Company]. I see you're in charge of the XX project. We've just helped [Peer] solve [Pain Point], and I'd like to share a helpful tip. I'll take two minutes. Is this a good time?"

(Note: "sales" is not mentioned, but "experience sharing" is emphasized)

Step 4: Strategic Stop-Loss (Day 45) — Exit gracefully to preserve future opportunities

✧ Tactical core : using "exit mechanism" to exchange for long-term window

• Script template :

Subject: Shall we pause?
“Hi [Name], I've tried reaching out a few times – likely not your priority now. Shall I:
A. Close the file? B. Follow up in 3 months? C. Share updates quarterly?
Really appreciate your guidance!”

Topic: Postponing communication?
"Hello [name], we have tried to contact you several times but failed. It may be that your needs do not match. Do you want me to:
A. Follow up at the end B. Contact after 3 months C. Share industry updates every quarter?
Thank you for your guidance! "

✓ Results : A lighting exporter used this template, and 28% of customers chose option B/C , resulting in 9 orders after three months.

📅 3. Key rhythm control: follow-up frequency and content design table

The key to avoiding harassment is value progression and interval extension :

Data source: Optimized by combining HubSpot's follow-up model and Pintui's customer acquisition practice cases

💰 4. Practical Results: 3 Key Techniques from Rejection to Millions of Orders

1. Hot activation of “cold demand”

   After receiving a response from a German client stating that their inventory was "full," a building materials supplier began sending quarterly charts of local market trends (including competitive product trends). Five months later, the client proactively inquired, "The demand for environmentally friendly materials you predicted is already emerging. We urgently need to discuss cooperation!"

2. "Small orders" leverage big cooperation

   Facing an Indian customer who already had a supplier, we offered a free trial run of a small order, covering the initial shipping costs . After the trial order, the customer's yield rate exceeded that of the original supplier by 12%, leading to their conversion to a primary partner with an annual purchase of US$2 million.

3. “Social authentication” breaks the deadlock

   After three months of silence from a Brazilian customer, the sales representative left a message on their LinkedIn feed: "Congratulations on the new factory opening! We helped a similar customer in Argentina solve a XX equipment installation issue. Here's a guide that might be helpful." The customer received a reply the same day: "How can I contact your technical team?"

🛠️ 5. Smart toolkit for efficient follow-up (tested by veteran foreign trade professionals)

• AB Customer : AI analyzes customer import and export details and needs, and automatically recommends follow-up strategies;

• AB Customer CRM : The basic version is free, with customer segmentation and beautified email templates, which can increase the response rate by 40%;

• Mailtrack : Real-time reminders of email opens/link clicks, allowing you to seize the golden opportunity for follow-up.

The golden rule : When a customer declines, a simple "I understand. Feel free to contact me if you need anything in the future" accompanied by regular value-adding emails is more effective than 100 forceful emails. A fabric exporter used this method to convert 32% of its "dormant customers" into actual orders within two years.

Final advice : The essence of foreign trade follow-up is "cultivating trust" rather than "harvesting orders." When a customer says "no," it's a golden opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and patience. Those who plant seeds of value will eventually reap the rewards in the harvest season.