Boss / Decision Maker

In foreign trade, 'boss/decision maker' refers to the key person who has the final approval authority for procurement or can make the final deal. It often corresponds to the final signer among English terms such as Boss, Decision Maker, Owner, Principal, or Key Account. Usage scenarios include: when developing customers, determine whether the other party is the decision maker to avoid repeated communication with lower-level staff who have no authority; when quoting, negotiating, or chasing payments, directly contact the decision maker to improve efficiency; at exhibitions or in email marketing, screen out decision makers for priority follow-up. Notes: the role of the decision maker varies by country and company size. In a small company, the boss is the decision maker; in a large company, it may be the procurement director or product manager. Identity should be confirmed through questions, observation of the other party's reply authority, and the company's organizational structure, and should not be judged only by job title. The difference from a 'contact person' or 'purchasing specialist' is that the latter may only be responsible for passing information and has no final decision-making power over pricing, payment terms, order quantity, etc.; the difference from an 'intermediary' is that the decision maker is usually the final buyer or an empowered person who can sign on behalf of the buyer.