This interview will be the last episode of the first season of the personal interview series. Today, we have invited Kris to be the final and featured guest!
Let's talk about how she handles different work scenarios when faced with them.
Kristina：In the latter half of this year, you underwent a job transition from the Business Department to the Order Processing Department. What differences do you perceive in the job responsibilities between these two positions?
Kris：In the Business Department, my main responsibility was to develop new clients and follow up. Specifically, I was in charge of the Alibaba International platform, which is somewhat similar to our own Taobao. Customers would approach me, asking if I could provide discounts for purchasing a certain quantity of items, negotiating prices, customizing logos, and my task was to develop these orders into new clients.
Although I've transitioned to Order Processing, I haven't taken on many clients yet. It's possible that after January, some clients will be officially transferred to me. Currently, I'm primarily working with existing clients from my previous role.
Kristina：What do you think is the connection between these two positions?
Kris：Well, it might be because I didn't perform well in the Business Department. Ideally, after successfully developing a new client in the Business Department, we would transfer the client to the Order Processing Department, and the order processing staff would take care of the subsequent processes. However, due to my insufficient abilities, I haven't brought in significant clients for the Order Processing Department yet. So, if we receive a large order, we handle it internally, similar to the tasks performed by the Order Processing Department – creating bulk orders, communicating details with the factory, and finally, arranging shipment and delivery.
Kristina：You're too modest. So, is it fair to say that the Business Department is the frontend, and the Order Processing Department is the backend?
Kris：Got it, but in our company, these functions run parallel because we have a significant number of existing clients, making both departments equally important.
Kristina：It seems that both positions have their unique characteristics. Personally, which side do you prefer more?
Kris：Hmm, the Business Department is a bit more challenging, while the Order Processing involves more detailed work.
Kristina：Actually, I think you're quite impressive. The day before yesterday, Cindy also publicly praised you in the group.
Kris：No, no, I simply conveyed Cindy's message to the client, and I was inspired by Cindy in handling that particular client.
Kristina：Feeling able to achieve this is already quite impressive. So, for the next question, you're in charge of operating our LinkedIn. Do you have any insights or experiences in operating it? I'd like to learn from you.
Kris：Well, recently, the boss has been hosting some live courses, and his own LinkedIn account sees a weekly increase in followers. We've also been sharing more videos from the factories, as customers seem to prefer that. It gives them a more impressive feel, and it shouldn't only focus on the products. Product-focused content can be a bit generic, as we just showcase the products without much explanation. I've noticed that some successful videos include product try-ons and more authentic explanations.
The main focus of our work on LinkedIn is to make others aware of our company, gain a deeper understanding of what we do, and boost our company's visibility. This kind of social media presence operates in a cycle – people see a variety of our products, find them interesting, and then reach out to us via messages expressing their interest. It's a process where engagement is initiated based on the products they come across.
Kristina：So let me add another small question. This is my own curiosity. Does the Business Department involve tasks such as searching for information, discovering potential customers interested in our products, and proactively reaching out to them for sales purposes?
Kris：Ah, if it's that kind of scenario, it might be because we engage less in international trade and focus more on local promotion. Since I joined, the only ground promotion activity I'm aware of is when the boss and others went to the Australian exhibition for promotion (related tweet here). As for searching for customer information, what we mainly do is background checks. It involves finding out more about a potential customer – their name, assessing their potential, etc.
Just like the client the boss mentioned in the group yesterday. They are a well-known gaming peripherals client in the United States, and while they seemed to have great potential, we didn't know the full extent of their company size. After conducting background checks, we discovered that the client is indeed large with significant potential. For clients like this, we are willing to compromise on our profit margin for their initial orders in order to establish a relationship and potentially secure more orders in the future.
Kristina：Got it. So, in the process of conducting background checks, what are the main criteria we use to assess whether a company has potential?
Kris：Well, it's more about checking their Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, seeing how many followers they have, and similar metrics. Taking the client we mentioned earlier as an example, if they have a Wikipedia page, it gives an indication of the size and significance of the company.
Kristina：Oh, I see! It seems like there's a lot more to learn. One last question, the final one! Does Kris have a vision of traveling abroad on a business trip with the boss in the future?
Kris：Haha, yes, there is such a vision. But to be honest, my current capabilities haven't reached that level. I haven't met the requirements of my boss and clients yet. Not to mention my English skills – while my writing and reading are relatively okay, and I might sound a bit confident, my spoken English needs more practice. Also, I feel there's still a lot of room for improvement in terms of professional knowledge for work. When attending exhibitions or when clients ask questions, what if I don't have the answers?
Kristina：Oh yes, absolutely. Everything you mentioned makes sense. So, all I can say is, in 2024, a new year, let's work hard! That concludes our conversation today. Thank you for taking the time to participate in the interview!
Kris：You're welcome!
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