{"id":491,"date":"2024-12-24T14:13:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T06:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/?p=491"},"modified":"2026-03-19T14:15:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T06:15:30","slug":"from-canton-fair-to-the-middle-east-why-offline-connections-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/index.php\/2024\/12\/24\/from-canton-fair-to-the-middle-east-why-offline-connections-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"From Canton Fair to the Middle East: Why Offline Connections Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recap of  Booksy\u2019s Middle East Business Salon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Event Overview:<\/strong><br>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Offline Engagement Leads to Faster Deals<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Real-life cases we shared during the salon highlight the effectiveness of offline interactions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Success at the Canton Fair:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>During the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/asiansourcinggroup.com\/things-you-should-know-before-going-to-the-canton-fair\/\">Canton Fair<\/a>, ASG\u2019s website received hundreds of inquiries, resulting in quite a few signed agreements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, face-to-face meetings during the fair led to a conversion rate of 70%, with many clients signing annual agency agreements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Turning Cold Leads into Hot Opportunities:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The client expressed strong interest, returned with a partner for a second meeting, and finalized an agreement. This in-person interaction revealed the client\u2019s true scale\u2014being the CEO of three companies\u2014details that were not evident during prior online engagement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Discovering Hidden Opportunities in Europe:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>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\u2014much larger than their online profile suggested.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Offline interactions, especially repeated ones, are crucial for:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Building trust faster.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uncovering vital, previously unknown details about clients.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gaining a clearer understanding of a client\u2019s business scale and challenges.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identifying unforeseen opportunities that can only be realized through face-to-face meetings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>?&nbsp;<em>Insight:<\/em>&nbsp;B2B success hinges on consistent and meaningful in-person engagements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to Acquire Clients: Lessons from the Middle East Journey<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Targeting Wholesalers:<\/strong><br>Expanding your customer base should include wholesalers as key targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Finding Markets:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In Dubai:<\/strong>\u00a0Use Google Maps to search for wholesalers by product type. This tool provides detailed results, including addresses, contact details, and even storefront images.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In Saudi Arabia:<\/strong>\u00a0Google 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Navigating Wholesale Markets:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Collect industry insights from shop owners to assess product-market fit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For vertical markets: Focus on cataloging, sampling, and pricing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For non-vertical categories: Adopt a sourcing and agency model to streamline operations while leveraging ASG\u2019s strong support network.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>?&nbsp;<em>Pro Tip from ASG:<\/em>&nbsp;Don\u2019t shy away from unfamiliar product categories. Expanding your offerings can strengthen&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/asiansourcinggroup.com\/how-to-find-reliable-suppliers-in-china\/\">reliable supplier<\/a>&nbsp;negotiations, elevate your business scale, and create deeper strategic partnerships with clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Art of Effective Communicatio<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A pre-salon session with communication expert Dan Niu provided valuable strategies to improve our engagement skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Lessons:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Difference Between Chatting and Communication:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Chatting:<\/em>\u00a0Random, unfocused, and lacks clear outcomes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Communication:<\/em>\u00a0Goal-oriented, phased, and interactive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Three Pillars of Effective Communication:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Purpose: Every conversation should have a clear objective.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Phases: Structure interactions in logical steps toward the goal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Interaction: Foster meaningful exchanges to move the conversation forward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Power of Questions:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ask purposeful questions to guide discussions and achieve desired outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-font-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-66e095d11cd71f538e489d67d0bf7cc2\">? For more information about our services, visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/booksy.com.cn\/\">Booksy Tech<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recap of Booksy\u2019s Middle East Business Salon Event Over [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":492,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491\/revisions\/492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booksy.com.cn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}