First email to an importer: why they don't reply and what to change
What your first email to a foreign buyer needs to get read and answered, and the five mistakes that send it to trash.
Published on 15 September 2026Updated on 15 September 2026
Luis Sanz FiguerasFounder de Exporta.ai
An importer receives dozens of supplier emails every week. They reply to those that talk about their business, not yours: why you're writing to them, what your product solves in their market, and what specific next step you're proposing. A generic message to a list doesn't get answered; one written for that person, with their context and in their language, does.
The five mistakes
Talking about yourself. Three paragraphs about your company history before saying what you do for them. The buyer wants to know in the first line why that email matters to them.
Sending to a list. The same text to fifty addresses shows, even if you change the name. What doesn't show is the work of looking at what they sell, to whom, and in what market—and that's what opens the door.
Not saying what you want. An email that ends in «we remain at your service» doesn't ask for anything, and what isn't asked for isn't granted. Propose a fifteen-minute call, a sample, a quote for a specific order.
Attaching a forty-page catalog. No one opens it on their phone. A one-page sheet, in their language, with the product that fits them and the reference price with your Incoterm, gets read in full.
Writing in your language. English works for many markets, but in France, Germany, or Mexico an email in their language gets answered more. And if it reads poorly, it doesn't get answered: careless translation says the rest of your work will be too.
What a replied-to email contains
A concrete subject line that says product and market, not «business partnership». A first sentence that shows you know who they are and why you're writing. Two or three sentences on what your product solves in their market, with a data point if you have one. A proposal for the next step with a date. And a signature with phone and website so they can verify you exist.
All in under one hundred fifty words. If you need more, it goes in the second email.
When to follow up and when to stop
No reply in a week: a short second email adding something new—a sample, a reference from their market, a trade show where you'll both be—doesn't bother them. A third one, two weeks later, closes it: «if now isn't the time, tell me when». Beyond three, insisting backfires.
Log each send and each reply in the same place. A contact who didn't answer in March might be the one who answers in September, if you know what you wrote them in March.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to call than email?
Email first, so the call has context. A cold call to a buyer who doesn't know who you are usually ends in «send me an email». A call that follows a read email starts halfway through.
Do I write to the CEO or the buyer?
To whoever decides on your product: at a distributor, the purchasing or category manager; at a small company, often the owner. Writing to the highest rank by default is the fastest way to reach no one.
What if I don't know the buyer's language?
Write in English if you know they use it, and if not, translate carefully and have a native speaker read it before you send. A short well-translated email performs better than a long one in a language the buyer doesn't master.
A first email with each contact's company, market, and your product
Exporta.ai finds who to write to and drafts your first email with their company, their market, and your product, ready to review and send from your own inbox. Start free.