Acquiring your goods internationally instead of just domestically can help you decrease your costs, find better products, and grow your brand faster. To do all this, you need to work with a professional who is going to help you find the items you need and get them to your storage space fast and securely. In this 2024 guide, we are going to help you learn how to find a good sourcing agent in China, and how to make sure you don’t employ someone who is going to make your work much more difficult.
Remove the barriers
When collaborating with sourcing agents from China, there are going to be some barriers that you will need to overcome if you want to have good communication and understanding. The biggest obstacle that you may notice is the language, as not many of these professionals are going to be fluent in English or your native language.
Just because they are not fluent in the language, does not mean that they are not great at what they do, so you will need to make sure you do your part in better understating. Try to use different online services to get your requests properly translated, and vice versa. If needed, talk to a translator and see if they can help you out with your needs.
Note that sometimes, the culturological differences may create a barrier, so try to be as open-minded as possible, and see how your way of presenting a solution could spark a disagreement and how you perceive the way that they talk to you.
Finally, remember that there is going to be a time difference, so keep this in mind when you place your orders, when you email them, and when you create a plan or a schedule. Find a time that would work for both of you, without one of you having to talk in the middle of the night.
Talk to them
Once you have a list of potential agents that you want to work with, the next step is reaching out to them. It is pretty easy to just decide to collaborate with them without actually having a decent conversation, but this is something that you must steer away from.
Even though you may not be able to have a face-to-face conversation, try to at least have a video or a voice call. Prepare a list of questions that you have for them, including details about your products, needs, and demands, and see if they are up for the challenge.
Ask them to walk you through the sourcing process, what they expect the biggest obstacles to being, and how they are going to handle any potential issue. Don’t forget to ask about their previous experience, and their biggest challenge in the industry, and see if they sound like an individual who is going to make sure your projects go uninterrupted or if they just want to add you like another name to their clients’ list and be done with it.
Look for a sourcing agent that is willing to grow with you, and who understands that the bigger your profits are, the more they are going to make as well. Know that depending on their qualifications and experience, they may look for different rates, so see what you are comfortable with paying.
For more information on how sourcing from China can help you grow your brand, visit https://www.justchinait.com/.
Know what to steer away from
Finally, you should be aware of the red flags as well. There are many agents that will be able to help you out with your needs, but there are also those who will try to trick you or who won’t be there to aid with what you are looking for.
You should always check their license, and know that unfortunately, they are not all going to be honest about their certificates. Some individuals will try and scam you by saying that they are legit and once you send them cash, they will just disappear.
Check to see if they are suitable for your exact field, and keep in mind that it is best if you collaborate only with those who have handled clients in the same or similar business. You don’t want the agent to be learning with you, and you don’t want to rely on someone who is not capable of providing you with the best. Check their overall experience, as well as their knowledge when it comes to your brand and your individual requests.
Pay attention to what they specialize in and if they would be able to grow with you. Some suppliers are amazing when it comes to smaller batches of orders, but when your business grows, they won’t be able to keep up with your demand. Make sure that they can scale your orders and that they won’t have issues handing things when your product category is much larger and when your demand increases.
If they have too many clients or if they only work with you, that can be a red flag as well. You don’t want to collaborate with someone who is overbooked and who won’t tend to your needs, and at the same time, you don’t want to be the only client, or a test subject to someone who is new in the industry. Finding the perfect middle is recommended and even though it may be difficult, the time you spend searching will be worth it.
Don’t forget to check how they feel about contracts, and if you can notice that the person you are talking to does not want to work with a contract, or if they try to steer you away from it, then you should not continue the collaboration and you should look for professionals who understand how important the contract is.
Pay attention to both the good and the bad things, and if you are new to this process, make sure you do constant research to see which things might go south. You are looking for a professional that can work without being micromanaged, and at the same time, someone who will keep you in the loop at all times. Collaborate with a trusted service that understands how to give the uttermost client satisfaction.
