Customer referral refers to the act of an existing customer proactively recommending your product or service to their business partners, peers, or friends, thereby bringing you new customers. In foreign trade, due to the long geographical distance between parties and high trust costs, referrals have become an important channel for obtaining high-quality inquiries. Use cases include: satisfied old customers introducing their overseas buyers, recommendations within industry associations, introductions between upstream and downstream supply chain enterprises, etc. Precautions: promptly thank the referrer (e.g., commission, discount, or gift), and ensure service quality for new customers to protect the referrer's reputation; also distinguish referrals from cold calling and platform inquiries (B2B platforms), as the former usually has a higher conversion rate. Unlike 'word-of-mouth marketing,' referrals emphasize the proactive recommendation behavior of specific customers, rather than brand reputation in general.
📝 Examples
1. Our old German customer Hans was very satisfied with the last order and proactively introduced us to his partner in Poland. This customer referral helped us successfully secure a new order worth $50,000. (Note: An old customer referred their business partner, directly leading to a new order.)
2. For inquiries obtained through customer referrals, we usually offer an additional 2% discount in our quotation to thank the referrer and increase the closing rate with new customers. (Note: The company adopts a preferential strategy for referral customers to incentivize deal closure.)
💡 Foreign Trade Tips
Foreign trade terms are the foundation of international business communication
Trade practices may vary slightly by country; pay attention when using them
When using terms in contracts, specify the applicable version (e.g., Incoterms 2020)
For unfamiliar terms, use GlobalSync's multilingual email helper to confirm with your partner