Study of a Small and Innovative International Trading Firm
In this guest lecture, I will discuss the business and marketing of an innovative and risky trading company. My title at this firm was ‘Sales & Liaison Manager’. I helped build the company during its most profitable period. The company sourced a specialised raw construction material from suppliers all over the world for customers in Asia. Our competitive advantage came from packaging the commodity with certain services, and our superior knowledge of the commodity. We managed client relationships intensely and considered both our customers and our suppliers as clients of our services. We also marketed to architects who were not our direct clients. Architects have a close relationship with developers and determine the materials used for a building. I’ll talk about various issues and challenges for marketing related to an international trading company. I will discuss an example of client relationship management when a deal goes badly wrong.