If you’ve received an inquiry from a Chinese company through EnterChina, it means the first—and often the most difficult—stage is already behind you. Before reaching out, the other company found your profile on EnterChina’s Chinese platform, reviewed your company description in Chinese, explored your services, experience and target markets, and concluded that your business could be the right partner for their project.
This is an important distinction. You’re not beginning a conversation with someone who is still trying to understand what your company does. You’re speaking with a company that has already reviewed your profile and made a conscious decision to contact you.
It’s also worth understanding how the process works behind the scenes. Chinese companies use WeChat as their primary business communication platform. Every initial inquiry is first reviewed by the EnterChina team. We verify that the inquiry comes from a legitimate company, facilitate the initial communication between both businesses, and assist with translating the first exchange through our official WeChat account. This allows both companies to focus on the project itself rather than language barriers or misunderstandings caused by different communication styles.
Only after this stage is complete is the inquiry passed directly to you. From that moment on, the success of the conversation depends largely on how you manage the communication.
The most common mistake European companies make is assuming that receiving an inquiry means they need to introduce their business all over again. Many companies respond by attaching a lengthy corporate presentation, a full product catalogue, company history, certificates, photographs of their facilities and every marketing brochure they’ve produced over the years.
In most cases, none of this is necessary.
The Chinese company already knows what you do. That’s precisely why it contacted you. Repeating information the client has already seen on EnterChina doesn’t move the conversation forward. If anything, it shifts attention away from the project the inquiry is actually about.
Understand the project first. Prepare the offer later.
The natural instinct is to prepare a commercial offer as quickly as possible. In practice, however, you rarely have enough information at this stage. You don’t yet know the final scope of the project, expected volumes, delivery timeline, technical requirements or how purchasing decisions are made on the client’s side. An offer based on a few sentences from the initial inquiry often requires significant revisions later or is built on assumptions that turn out to be incorrect.
A much better approach is to treat your first reply as the beginning of a business conversation rather than the end of a sales process. If the inquiry is still fairly general, ask a few clarifying questions first. If the client has already described the project in detail, respond directly to those specific needs and demonstrate your experience in exactly that area.
What to send in your first reply
Your first reply should move the conversation forward, not reintroduce your company.
Start by acknowledging the inquiry and confirming that you understand the project. Then share two or three relevant projects or case studies that closely match the client’s requirements instead of sending your entire portfolio. If you have experience in the same industry or have completed similar projects, that’s the information the client is most interested in.
Only after that should you present the details that strengthen your credibility, such as experience in international markets, cooperation with recognised clients or certifications that are directly relevant to this project.
Finally, suggest the next step. In most cases, that will be a short online meeting or a call to clarify requirements before preparing a formal proposal.
EnterChina observation
Companies that respond directly to the content of an inquiry usually move the conversation forward much faster than those sending the same generic presentation to every potential client. Personalisation doesn’t mean creating a completely new offer each time. It means showing the experience that is most relevant to the client’s specific project.
What not to send – yet
The first reply isn’t the right moment to send a complete product catalogue, detailed technical documentation, a full price list or a lengthy corporate presentation. All of these materials can become extremely valuable later – but only once both sides share a clear understanding of the project and begin discussing specific solutions.
This isn’t about withholding information. It’s about sharing information at the right time. Early in the conversation, the priority is demonstrating that you understand the client’s needs and are capable of solving their problem. Detailed documentation becomes valuable only when it answers questions that naturally arise later in the process.
EnterChina observation
One of the most common mistakes European companies make is believing that sending more information automatically makes them more credible. In reality, too much information often makes it harder for the client to find what actually matters at that stage of the conversation.
What your first message should look like
The message itself doesn’t need to be long.
Thank the client for getting in touch, refer directly to the project they described, and attach examples of similar projects. If you need additional information, ask a few specific questions instead of preparing an offer based on assumptions.
The purpose of your first message isn’t to close a sale. It’s to move naturally to the next stage of the conversation.
What happens next
Once the first exchange is complete, the conversation gradually shifts from introductions to defining the project itself. This is when both companies clarify requirements, discuss the scope of cooperation and establish the foundation for a meaningful commercial proposal. Only then do detailed specifications, technical documentation and pricing become central to the discussion.
The most important thing to remember
You’re no longer answering the question:
“Who are you?”
Your EnterChina profile has already answered that question.
Now you’re answering a much more important one:
“Can you deliver this specific project?”
More often than not, the answer to that question is what marks the beginning of a successful long-term partnership with a Chinese client.