年关将至，原本该是我们外贸人的接单旺季，但由于最近环保查处力度的不断加强，想必不少企业也是喜忧参半吧，既盼着客户下单，又担心交货期无法保障。不少小型工厂为了避免被查封，甚至宁可完全停产，内部整顿，这就造成了原材料的稀缺，不止价格一涨再涨，交货期更是一拖再拖。对于我们外贸业务员而言，更大的挑战是应该要如何应对客户不断地催交货。

The end of the year is approaching. It’s the peak period for us foreign traders to get more orders. However, as the environment protection inspection is growing stronger and stronger, I believe most of the enterprises are delighted with worry. They are eager for more orders but they also worry that they can’t guarantee the date of delivery. To avoid being closed down, many small plants would rather stop the production which cause the scarce of raw materials. The price is rising quickly and the date of shipment is postponed again and again. For our foreign traders, the greater challenge is how to cope with customers’ requirements for prompt delivery.

面对客户的不满，我觉得首先一定不能够逃避，即便客户当时的情绪非常激动，但你不能受之影响，而是应该静下心来，淡定地跟客户分析清楚原因，比如为什么交货期会被拖延，因为虽然我们已经加急处理了你的订单，但是由于现在环保查处力度的加强，很多原料工厂甚至都已经停止生产了，原材料的紧缺非常严重，即便我们也已经每天在催我们的供应商，甚至于老板用现金购买原料，但是仍无法保障原料的交货期，这是大环境变化造成的影响，并不是我们所能控制的范围以内，所以要尽量争取得到客户的理解。正如一种良性的合作关系，是需要合作双方互相支持的，我们会支持他们最好的价格和质量，但在这种特殊情况也希望他们可以谅解并支持我们，这样才能保持双方的长期合作。

Facing with customers’ discontentment, I think that first, we certainly shouldn’t escape from them. Even if customers are excited, we can’t be affected by them and we should chill out and analyze the reasons, such as why the date of shipment would be postponed. That’s because although we have speeded up your order, many plants which provide raw materials stop the production due to the strengthened environment protection inspection. The shortage of raw materials is severe. Even though we are urging our suppliers everyday and our manager even purchase materials using cash, we still can’t guarantee the date of shipment. It is caused by the change of the entire environment. We are not the party to blame. So we should try to gain understandings from customers. It’s a sound cooperation relationship which needs the support of both the two parties. We will provide our best price and quality. And under such special circumstances, we also hope that they can understand and support us to ensure the long-term cooperation relationship.

把原因分析清楚，一般客户还是能够理解和接受的，况且客户在中国的供应商并不会只有我们一家，所以还是会比较清楚现在国内的情况。但当然，并不是所有的客户都会这么容易沟通，或者配合你的工作。面对这种情况，我们也要更多地去理解客户，多站在客户的角度为他思考问题，比如一些企业，可能真的是急着要这批货赶上某个销售旺季，否则资金运转可能出现问题，继而导致企业危机，这时候客户的焦虑是我们想象不到的，唯有更多地去理解他们的难处。

After we have explained the reasons to our customers, generally they will understand us. After all, customers won’t cooperate with only one supplier in China and they must be clear of the situation. However, not every customer is that easy to communicate with or cooperate with. Facing with this, we need to understand our customers more and think in customers’ eyes. For example, some enterprises really need this batch of goods to catch up with the peak season or their capital operations will go wrong and then the crisis will arise. We can’t imagine how terrible it will be so that we should try our utmost to understand them.

对于第二种情况的客户，我们也要注意客户心理的安抚，要让客户体会到我们对他们的订单是足够重视的，一直都有把他们的事情放在心上，是真正为他们分担忧愁，值得继续信赖的合作伙伴。那具体应该怎么说呢？比如可以多跟客户说说，为了尽量降低最近交货问题对交货期的影响，我们老板也是事事亲历亲为，每天一早就在跟工厂跟进生产和各种材料供货的情况，只为尽最大努力为各客户提供最优质的服务。并表示在跟老板反映了你们的情况之后，老板已经亲自跟进你们的材料供给，务必会为你们争取最早的交货期。这样至少能让客户在心里好受一些，知道我们是有在行动上为他分担的。当然同时我们也可以把具体的情况反映给老板，看能否在交货期上尽量提前一些。

For customers in the second situation, we also need to comfort them and let them feel that we pay much attention to them. And we are really doing our best to share the difficulties of theirs. How to do that? For example, we can tell the customer that to reduce the impacts of the delayed date of shipment, our manager work in person. He contacted the plant at the morning about the production and the raw materials. We do our utmost to provide our customers with high-quality services. After reflecting the situations to our manager, our manager will follow up the supply of materials in person. And we are trying our best to fight for the earliest date of shipment for you. It will be a small comfort for customers. At least, we try to help them. Meanwhile, we can report the concrete situation to our manager to see if the date of shipment can be advanced.

凡事都有两面性，但如果利用得当，有时候即便是客户的投诉，也能为你争取下一张订单提供机会。比如在解决了交货期的问题之后，也可以透过目前环境这一变化，建议客户尽早为下一张订单做好准备，因为据目前的情况看来，除了交货期的影响外，价格也必定会持续上涨。

Every coin has two sides. If we can make good use of customers’ complaints, we may gain the next order. For example, after we settle the issue of date of shipment, we have learnt that we’d better suggest our customers place next order as soon as possible. According to the current situation, apart from the date of shipment, the price will keep rising.