Recap of ASG’s Middle East Business Salon

Event Overview:
Last week, We hosted a salon to reflect on our recent overseas business initiatives in the Middle East. Through sharing real-world experiences and client stories, we aimed to provide valuable insights for peers and businesses planning to venture abroad or expand their markets.

Why Offline Engagement Leads to Faster Deals

Real-life cases we shared during the salon highlight the effectiveness of offline interactions:

1. Success at the Canton Fair:
   • During the Canton Fair, ASG’s website received hundreds of inquiries, resulting in quite a few signed agreements.
   • However, face-to-face meetings during the fair led to a conversion rate of 70%, with many clients signing annual agency agreements.
2. Turning Cold Leads into Hot Opportunities:
   • A Saudi client who had been lukewarm in online communication traveled over 100 kilometers (a 2-hour drive) to meet our team at the hotel during our Middle East trip.
   • The client expressed strong interest, returned with a partner for a second meeting, and finalized an agreement. This in-person interaction revealed the client’s true scale—being the CEO of three companies—details that were not evident during prior online engagement.
3. Discovering Hidden Opportunities in Europe:
   • While visiting a long-time European client, we discovered they had a 3,500 sqm warehouse, a $30,000 inventory, and significant investments in e-commerce and Google Ads—much larger than their online profile suggested.

Key Takeaways:

• Offline interactions, especially repeated ones, are crucial for:
  • Building trust faster.
  • Uncovering vital, previously unknown details about clients.
  • Gaining a clearer understanding of a client’s business scale and challenges.
  • Identifying unforeseen opportunities that can only be realized through face-to-face meetings.

💡 Insight: B2B success hinges on consistent and meaningful in-person engagements.

How to Acquire Clients: Lessons from the Middle East Journey

1. Targeting Wholesalers:
Expanding your customer base should include wholesalers as key targets.

2. Finding Markets:

• In Dubai: Use Google Maps to search for wholesalers by product type. This tool provides detailed results, including addresses, contact details, and even storefront images.
• In Saudi Arabia: Google Maps is less effective due to language barriers. Instead, unconventional platforms like Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) proved invaluable in identifying major markets. Cross-verifying this information with locals ensures accuracy.

3. Navigating Wholesale Markets:

• Collect industry insights from shop owners to assess product-market fit.
• For vertical markets: Focus on cataloging, sampling, and pricing.
• For non-vertical categories: Adopt a sourcing and agency model to streamline operations while leveraging ASG’s strong support network.

💡 Pro Tip from ASG: Don’t shy away from unfamiliar product categories. Expanding your offerings can strengthen supplier negotiations, elevate your business scale, and create deeper strategic partnerships with clients.

The Art of Effective Communication

A pre-salon session with communication expert Dan Niu provided valuable strategies to improve our engagement skills.

Key Lessons:

1. Difference Between Chatting and Communication:
   • Chatting: Random, unfocused, and lacks clear outcomes.
   • Communication: Goal-oriented, phased, and interactive.
2. Three Pillars of Effective Communication:
   • Purpose: Every conversation should have a clear objective.
   • Phases: Structure interactions in logical steps toward the goal.
   • Interaction: Foster meaningful exchanges to move the conversation forward.
3. The Power of Questions:
   • Ask purposeful questions to guide discussions and achieve desired outcomes.

Réflexions finales

This salon reinforced the importance of going global and investing in offline connections. By sharing experiences and actionable insights, ASG continues to empower businesses to navigate new markets with confidence.

💼 For more information about our services, visit Groupe d'approvisionnement asiatique.