The Second Step To Gain Customers' Trust in Multi-functional Bedside Panel Lights --- Be Careful

The second step to gain customers' trust in multi-functional bedside panel lights --- Be careful

On August 25th, we received an inquiry from an Arab customer who was interested in our multi-functional bedside panel lights. Our product comes in various styles and supports custom sizing. The standard model features wireless charging, three-color lighting, and a touch screen, while the upgraded version can be equipped with additional USB ports, Bluetooth speakers, and fingerprint locks. I provided the customer with a detailed product introduction, sent pictures of various styles, and the product packaging drawings. After that, the customer wanted to know the specific prices. I quoted the prices for the standard model and the upgraded version with a Bluetooth speaker, and the customer said the unit prices were completely acceptable, then asked me to quote the freight.

Freight is really a key part, involving many calculation steps that allow no carelessness at all. The size of the product the customer intends to order is 470*380, and the size of the wooden crate for packaging is 540*450*410, with each crate holding 20 units. When calculating the freight, the first thing to figure out is whether it is calculated by volumetric weight or actual weight—whichever is heavier will be used, and this directly affects the amount of freight.

To give the customer more options, I plan to quote the freight and timeliness of three transportation methods: sea freight, air freight, and international express. Sea freight is relatively cheap but has slow timeliness. It is necessary to find out the approximate time for the goods to depart from our port to the customer's port, as well as various possible situations during the journey, such as delays caused by weather conditions. All these factors need to be considered to provide the customer with a relatively accurate range of timeliness.

Air freight is much faster than sea freight but is more expensive. International express is the fastest, but the cost is also the highest. International courier giants like DHL and FedEx have relatively stable service timeliness, but their prices also need to be carefully calculated, as there may be significant price differences for different weight ranges.

When calculating the freight, not a single number can be wrong. For example, the conversion of product and wooden crate sizes, the calculation of volumetric weight, and the results of multiplying the unit price of different transportation methods by weight or volume—even a misplaced decimal point can lead to an incorrect total freight. If the wrong freight is quoted to the customer due to this, it will not only cause trouble for subsequent cooperation but also make the customer think we are unprofessional, affecting trust.

Of course, we can also provide the product size, wooden crate size, and weight to the freight forwarder and ask them to give the specific freight. This is indeed a faster and more effective way. Freight forwarders are more professional in this regard and can accurately calculate the costs of various transportation methods. However, it is also important for us to be able to calculate the freight ourselves to check against the results provided by the freight forwarder and avoid errors.

After clarifying and accurately calculating all these, we will send the detailed freight information to the customer, allowing them to make a suitable choice based on their needs and budget. This is also an important step in demonstrating carefulness and gaining trust in our communication with customers.