Customer Said “30% Higher”? She Asked One Question and Turned the Tide

Customer Said “30% Higher”? She Asked One Question and Turned the Tide

– A Real Foreign Trade Negotiation Review

Recently I came across a conversation between a fellow exporter and their client. I found it very valuable.

The client started: “Your price is 30% higher than another supplier. Purchasing doesn’t care about details, and every company says their product is good. How do you convince me?”

What would you have replied?

Her answer was clever. She didn’t rush to defend quality or fall into the trap of “proving herself right”. Instead, she asked two questions:

“What is your target price? And roughly what is your monthly purchase quantity?”

The client replied: “Around 3,000 pieces per month.”

She immediately said: “That’s very useful. I’ll revise the quote and send it to you tomorrow.”

Why is “3,000 pieces per month” so crucial?

1.Many people think the client didn’t give a target price, so the information is incomplete. But in foreign trade, quantity itself is a negotiating lever.

2.Recalculate unit price: 3,000 pieces/month = 36,000 pieces/year. At this volume, you can absolutely offer tiered pricing, annual framework agreements, or bulk discounts – enough to close or even erase the 30% gap.

3.Shift to total cost negotiation: The client doesn’t believe in quality details? Then help him do the math – if that 30% cheaper supplier is unreliable and causes a production shutdown, how big would the loss be? Trade risk for price.

4.Assess client value: Annual purchase value could be over a million, worth offering your best internal policy.

5.When the client gives you a clear quantity, the negotiation shifts from “convince me your product is better” to “based on this volume, I’ll give you an offer you can’t refuse.”

Ask for quantity first, or target price first?

Honestly, my first reaction would also be to ask for the target price – to quickly judge whether the client is serious. But later I realized this approach carries risks:

Revealing your bottom line too early: When you ask for a target price, the client feels “price is negotiable” and might throw out a very low number, putting you on the defensive.

Missing good clients: Someone who gives a lowball price may not be serious; but a client who complains about price yet willingly shares their specific order volume is often a high-intent buyer.

Benefits of asking for quantity first:

1.Gain the initiative to reprice: Use the volume to ask for internal discounts, instead of being led by the client’s target price.

2.Build a professional image: The subtext is “I’m seriously studying how to help you save money”, not “how much do you want to pay”.

3.Verify client sincerity: Willingness to disclose quantity suggests real demand.

Quantity is an X-ray machine that reveals the client’s skeleton; the target price is just an outer garment, changeable at any time.

Once you have the quantity, asking for the target price becomes easier: “Based on 3,000 pieces/month, we’ve recalculated the price. What target price range do you have in mind? Let’s see if we can match it further.”

I’ve had a similar experience myself

Last year I followed up with a client for months with little response. I didn’t give up – I occasionally sent product updates to stay on his radar.

One day he suddenly asked for a quote. I sent it; he said “too high”. After a while he said: “If you can reduce the price by 20%, I’ll help you open the Malaysian market.”

At that moment I realized: he had been watching me all along, just waiting for the right timing.

Later we even started discussing a specific factory visit – he showed clear interest. But for personal reasons, I left the company and couldn’t continue.

This experience taught me two things:

1.No reply doesn’t mean no interest – interest can hide behind repeated “too expensive” comments.

2.The judgment and experience you accumulate during followups stay with you and are never wasted.

A few takeaways for your reference

In the foreign trade negotiations you’ve seen, when faced with a “30% higher” complaint, would you ask for the target price or for the quantity first? Feel free to share your thoughts.