Loading...
Answers
MenuHow can I stay competitive among the local competitors as an agent importing foreign goods?
I want to import a drone positioning system into my country and commercialize it. As an agent rather than the original tech inventor, how could I still make a profit once my competitors (bigger companies or my clients) start to import it without me or even clone the system themselves?
Answers
I'm going to make 2 assumptions in my reply
1. You're selling these to companies
2. These are rather expensive systems.
Basically for such a situation, what you have right now is a first mover advantage. That basically means you have the opportunity to gain quick traction and find early adopters for your systems.
If you act fast enough and manage to get companies to buy them from you, this gives you a huge advantage on your competitors. Why?
This is because you have the opportunity to forge close relationships with customers and get testimonials. In the future, your competitors might be able to beat you pricewise, but that is never a substitute for trust in your company and the relationships you've been able to forge.
So I would suggest spending a lot of time on 2 things
1. Creating a holistic experience for the customer from the installation of the software to the deployment. You want to be there at every step of the way when needed. If necessary, set it up for them, do some free repairs(If it doesn't cost you much). At this point you're building the relationship between you and your customers so going the extra mile counts.
2. You also want to start getting some form of testimonial to build trust and confidence in your product. This is important because word-of-mouth is more influential than advertising when selling a product.
Without further information, this is all that I can come up with for now. If you're keen, I could discuss more specific strategies with you for your business and cover key actionable steps you could take to accelerate your growth and sales. :)
Ivan is spot-on with practical steps you can take.
I want to further explain this way of positioning. Find out right now - before the competition starts - what your competitive advantage will be. The personal experience, high quality customer services approach is the right one for a small business with large competitors.
Ask yourself what your customers need out of the experience and what they want; what are you, uniquely, positioned to give them, and focus on that in every interaction with your market.
Understand your customers and choose the right marketing methods to reach them.
1. Social media: Learn how to use social networks to connect with customers and build relationships.
Advertising puts the right message in front of the right people at the right time.
2. Customer care: Good customer care can help you develop better, more loyal customer relationships.
3. Sales: A sales strategy brings in the money that enables your business to survive and grow.
4. Market research: Market research gives you useful insights to help guide your business decisions.
5. Direct marketing: Direct marketing can be a good way to generate sales from existing and new customers.
6. Exhibitions and events: Understanding how displaying and networking at exhibitions and events can benefit your business.
7. PR: Understand how to attract the attention of editors and journalists to get media coverage.
Business competition can be fierce, especially in markets with aggressive competitors and when customer spending is slowing down.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
Related Questions
-
Why do I always feel like I’m too late for all the startup trends? How can I be at the front of the trends, executing?
I'd suggest forgetting about trends, and instead focusing on finding problems that lots of people will pay you to solve for them. Here are some ways to get started: (a) Have a clear idea of the few areas where you may have a view of what lies just beyond the edge (technology evolution, market needs, etc.) (b) Identify problems that need to be solved, preferably using primary research (i.e. talking to people). (c) Remember that sometimes people cannot easily articulate what the problem is, so understanding what the problem is might require some effort. (d) Figure out if the problem is big/widespread enough that it is worth solving. Am happy to talk if you'd like to brainstorm your early-stage venture ideas.MB
-
I am looking to source Segboards/Swegboards/Hoverboards from China from a reliable manufacturer and then have them branded for sale in the UK.
Message me, I live in Shanghai, China.. If I understand better maybe I can assist you.MA
-
What's a typical channel PPC ad spend for a large fashion brand or clothing retailer (Banana Republic, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Adidas, Oakley, etc)?
20-100k/day depending on their size - it's a big investment. Why don't we hop on a call to discuss further and next steps to help you target them?PD
-
Can you be the founder of a saas startup if you're not a tech person?
Great question. You should definitely not drop the idea if you think that it is worth pursuing. Just like you need the tech-founder, he needs a business founder with a dream, and the passion to make it succeed. I suggest that following: 1. Do market validation/ POC to see if the idea has potential (get a general idea of how here: https://clarity.fm/questions/6423/how-do-you-do-market-research). 2. If it shoes potential, start looking for a tech-co-founder. There are numerous ways (try these): www.meetup.com www.founderdating.com www.cofounderslab.com http://www.founders-nation.com www.founder2be.com Linkedin... 3. Do a trial period + sign a founder's agreement. Happy to help you with any of the above once/if you need. Good luck! I've successfully helped over 350 entrepreneurs, startups and businesses, and I would be happy to help you. After scheduling a call, please send me some background information so that I can prepare in advance - thus giving you maximum value for your money. Take a look at the great reviews I’ve received: https://clarity.fm/assafben-davidAB
-
What is the best way to go about procuring ceramic cups in Asia? (By best I mean reliability and scalability.)
Many of the large established maunfactures attend trade shows, such as the Canton Import and Export Fair. The key is to look for manufactures that already supplies to established brands. Once the manufacture meets the QA standards of the large brands, their quality remains consistent regardless of the company they produce for. Most of the time the minimum order quantity they request are up for negotiation. Same for the sampling cost. Most manufactures are willing to wave the sampling cost if a production order is placed at a later time. Sourcing at the end of the day requires a lot of ground work. It takes time and effort to locate the right suppliers, visit and audit their facilities, and prices negotiate. However, this really saves money in the long term because you will have solid supply chains you can count on and trust. One way to approach this is to consolidate. Consolidate the number of suppliers, and make each sourcing trip count by finding multiple suppliers at once. Best of luck in finding the right suppliers for your products!ML
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.