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Import-export trading companies · CRM

Keep every buyer, supplier, quote and sample in one record.

A CRM for a trading company is one shared record of buyers, suppliers, quotes, samples and shipments in place of phones and inboxes. GullySales sets up the fields, the stages and the habits so that anyone on the team can pick up a conversation.

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Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.

Realistic editorial illustration of industrial suppliers and distributors at work in the United States

What CRM means

A CRM is the record where every enquiry, call and quote is kept against a customer, replacing separate notebooks, spreadsheets and memory. GullySales sets up or cleans an existing CRM and reports from it by enquiry outcome rather than by activity logged.

Also for import-export trading companies

Sales and marketing for import-export trading companies, the overview.

Last updated 18 Oct 2026.

For import-export trading companies

Where it usually goes wrong, and what we would do.

  • “The buyer relationship sits in one person's phone”

    The owner remembers that a Dubai buyer wanted five-kilo bags with a private label, and which mill quoted. When that person is travelling or leaves, the memory goes. A shared record keeps the history where the next person can read it.

  • “A trader has two pipelines, not one”

    Sales moves from enquiry to quote, sample, proforma invoice and shipment. Buying moves from supplier enquiry to rate, sample and order. A CRM that tracks only buyers misses half the business. Both need stages, and a link between a buyer order and the supplier behind it.

  • “Samples are cost and a signal”

    Each sample carries courier money and a buyer's interest. Without a log, nobody knows what was sent, to whom, and whether anyone replied. A sample stage with a follow-up field turns a cost into a conversation to continue.

  • “Documents belong beside the contact”

    Proforma invoices, packing lists and certificates are scattered across mail folders. Attaching or linking them to the buyer and shipment record means a repeat order starts from the last file, not from a search.

What we do

What we deliver for import-export trading companies.

Every deliverable, what it covers for you, and the result it is there to produce. Nothing here is an extra.

  1. Buyer and supplier register

    One record per company and per contact, with country, product interest, persona type and source.

    Result: Every contact can be found by product or country.

  2. Sales and buying stages

    Stages for enquiry, quote, sample, proforma invoice, shipment and repeat, and a matching set for suppliers.

    Result: Each open deal shows where it stands.

  3. Sample log

    A record of what was sent, when, by which courier and what the buyer said afterwards.

    Result: You can see which samples have had no reply.

  4. Quote template and history

    A standard quote format and a list of past quotes for each buyer.

    Result: A new quote starts from the last one.

  5. Document links on each record

    Proforma invoices, packing lists and certificate files attached or linked to the matching buyer and shipment.

    Result: A repeat order can find its papers in one place.

  6. Team habits note

    A one-page guide on who updates what and when a record is closed.

    Result: Everyone fills the record the same way.

How the result is measured

  • Enquiries logged in the CRM
  • Data completeness
  • Reports generated from CRM data

Recorded as a baseline before work starts, so every later report has an honest comparison.

Read the full CRM implementation and customisation page

Fields worth keeping

Hold buyers, suppliers, quotes and samples on one record.

Buyer company and country
Entered at first contact by the person handling the enquiry. Lets the owner see which markets are active.
Product, grade and packing quoted
Filled from the quote, so a returning buyer is answered with the same specification.
Sample sent and status
Date sent, courier detail, cost and the buyer's reaction. Shows which samples led to orders.
Linked supplier
The factory that supplies this product, with their quote and lead time, kept beside the buyer's.
Document links
Proforma invoice, packing list and certificates attached, so no one searches an inbox on the day a buyer asks.

Who it is for

This is written for these import-export trading companies.

  • Agri-product exporters trading rice, spices, pulses and similar goods
  • Textile, garment and home furnishing export traders
  • Handicraft and gift item exporters buying from artisan clusters
  • Engineering goods and hardware export traders
  • Import traders bringing in electronics, machinery spares and components
  • Chemical and dye importers who sell inside India
  • Dry fruit, edible oil and food item importers
  • Merchant exporters who source from several factories for one overseas buyer

Not for

It is not the right fit if.

  • You handle a handful of shipments a year and a spreadsheet already tells the owner everything
  • Documents live in the owner's email and nobody else may see them
  • Your team will not log samples, so the sample fields would stay empty

How it works

How the CRM work runs

The work itself, in order. How an engagement starts, from your brief to a written scope, is set out on our method page.

  1. 1

    Map the sales process

    We sit with the people who sell and write down how a deal moves from enquiry to payment, including where it stalls.

  2. 2

    Agree stages, fields and owners

    Each stage gets a name your team already uses and a proof that the deal has left it. We agree which fields are required at which stage, and who may change what.

  3. 3

    Build on a copy

    Pipeline, fields and views are built on a trial copy where the CRM offers one, or in a separate pipeline where the plan allows. Live work stays untouched.

  4. 4

    Connect channels, then switch on automations

    Channels are connected first. Each automation is then switched on separately, so a misfiring rule is easy to find.

  5. 5

    Test with real deals

    The people who will use the CRM run open deals through it. Gaps are fixed before the whole team switches over.

  6. 6

    Switch over and trim

    Once real use shows which fields stay empty and which stages nobody uses, those are cut and the handover record is updated.

Where this fits

Three pieces of sales work, in this order.

This work sits inside sales management. A target, a review routine and someone who owns the number.

  1. Step 1

    Sales audit

    Find where deals are being lost and what to fix first.

    Start here if you cannot say where orders are lost.

  2. Step 2

    Sales process design

    One written way to sell, from first enquiry to repeat order.

    Start here if every salesperson sells differently.

  3. Step 3 · you are here

    Sales management

    A target, a review routine and someone who owns the number.

    Start here if the team has targets and no routine.

Tell us what you need Your brief is read before we call. Scope, fee and term in writing.

FAQ

Questions owners ask before they call.

Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.

Tell us what you need
Which CRM should a trading company use?
Choose a tool the team will open. A well-kept spreadsheet is better than an unused system. We set up the structure first and then work in whichever tool you already pay for or prefer.
Will the CRM connect to our accounting software?
That depends on both tools, and we do not promise a link. The first aim is a clean buyer and shipment record, and accounting stays where your accountant keeps it.
Who should own the data?
The company owns it, and one named person should be responsible for its upkeep. A record with no owner falls out of date.
Should supplier and buyer records be kept separately?
Keep both in one system with different stages, and link each product to its supplier and buyers. A trader runs two pipelines. Linking them shows when a buyer's order depends on a supplier who has not confirmed price or capacity.
How much does it cost?
There is no price list, because the work differs by business. The fee is scoped after we have read your brief and spoken to you, and put in writing before anything starts, split into our time, your media spend and production.
How long is the contract?
The term is agreed in writing after we have spoken, along with the fee and the reporting. It is never a default twelve months, and renewal is decided on the numbers against the baseline recorded at the start.
How soon will we see results?
It depends on the trade, the channel and what is already in place. After we have read your brief and spoken to you, we say what we would expect to move first and how it will be measured against the baseline. Nothing here is guaranteed.
Who will actually do the work?
The person you speak to before anything starts. We work from one office in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, with no account managers in between.
What do you need from us?
Your brief, and a conversation. After that, access to whatever this work touches, such as your website, your accounts or your enquiry record, and time with the people who handle your enquiries.
What if we are not happy with the work?
Tell us and the plan changes. Everything is reported against the baseline, so a number that is not moving is visible to both sides. The term is in your written scope, and the refund and cancellation policy sets out the rest.

More for import-export trading companies

Everything else we would do for you.

Closest to this: leads and follow-up

Also for import-export trading companies

Or start from the overview: sales and marketing for import-export trading companies.

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