Sales & clients in Chinese 销售
xiāoshòu
Client in Chinese is 客户 (kè hù).
Also searched for as: sales, clients, customers, salesperson, closing a deal, sales rep.
Finding buyers, keeping clients, closing deals. 15 essential sales & clients words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
In Chinese sales, everything revolves around the 客户 (kè hù), the client, and the job is often described in two halves: 开发客户 (kāi fā kè hù), finding new clients, and 维护客户 (wéi hù kè hù), looking after existing ones. In between comes 跟进 (gēn jìn), following up, which in Chinese business usually means regular, friendly contact on WeChat as much as formal emails. These words cover the daily rhythm of most sales jobs.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 客户 | kè hù | client; customer |
| 销售 | xiāo shòu | sales; salesperson |
| 业务员 | yè wù yuán | sales rep |
| 开发客户 | kāi fā kè hù | to find new clients |
| 潜在客户 | qián zài kè hù | potential client; lead |
| 老客户 | lǎo kè hù | existing client; regular customer |
| 跟进 | gēn jìn | to follow up |
| 下单 | xià dān | to place an order |
| 签单 | qiān dān | to close a deal; to land an order |
| 业绩 | yè jì | sales results; performance |
| 提成 | tí chéng | commission |
| 指标 | zhǐ biāo | target; quota |
| 回头客 | huí tóu kè | repeat customer |
| 维护客户 | wéi hù kè hù | to look after client relationships |
| 售后 | shòu hòu | after-sales service |
Usage tips
- 下单 (xià dān) is what the client does, placing an order, while 签单 (qiān dān) is the salesperson's win, landing the deal; 他签单最多 (tā qiān dān zuì duō) is praise for a top performer.
- In 老客户 (lǎo kè hù), 老 means long-standing, not old, so calling someone your 老客户 is a compliment about the relationship.
- Sales pay is often a 底薪 (dǐ xīn), base salary, plus 提成 (tí chéng), commission, so whether you've hit your 指标 (zhǐ biāo), target, is a constant topic.
Common mistakes
- Using 顾客 (gù kè) for business clients: 顾客 is for shoppers in a store, while 客户 (kè hù) is the word for clients and accounts.
- Saying 买 or 订 for a client placing an order in a B2B context sounds vague; the set phrase is 下单 (xià dān), as in 客户下单了 (kè hù xià dān le).
Mini dialogue
- A上周展会上的那个潜在客户，你跟进了吗？Shàng zhōu zhǎn huì shàng de nà ge qián zài kè hù, nǐ gēn jìn le ma?Have you followed up with that lead from last week's trade fair?
- B跟进了，我们加了微信，他说想先看看样品。Gēn jìn le, wǒ men jiā le Wēi xìn, tā shuō xiǎng xiān kàn kan yàng pǐn.Yes, we added each other on WeChat, and he wants to see samples first.
- A很好。这个季度的指标还差一点。Hěn hǎo. Zhè ge jì dù de zhǐ biāo hái chà yī diǎn.Good. We're still a little short of this quarter's target.
- B放心，老客户王总明天也会下单。Fàng xīn, lǎo kè hù Wáng zǒng míng tiān yě huì xià dān.Don't worry, our long-standing client Mr Wang is placing an order tomorrow too.
- A太好了，签了单你请客！Tài hǎo le, qiān le dān nǐ qǐng kè!Brilliant. Once it's signed, you're buying dinner!
Example sentences
- 这个客户我跟了半年。I've been working on this client for six months.
- 我在公司做销售。I work in sales.
- 我们的业务员会跟您联系。Our sales rep will be in touch with you.
- 做外贸最难的是开发客户。The hardest part of foreign trade is finding clients.
- 展会上加了很多潜在客户的微信。We added lots of potential clients on WeChat at the trade fair.
- 老客户可以享受优惠价。Existing clients get a special price.
- 这个订单你跟进一下。Please follow up on this order.
- 客户今天终于下单了！The client finally placed an order today!
- 他这个月签单最多。He closed the most deals this month.
- 这个季度业绩不太好。Sales this quarter aren't great.
- 做销售主要靠提成。In sales you mainly live on commission.
- 今年的销售指标完成了吗？Have you hit this year's sales target?
- 我们的生意主要靠回头客。Our business relies mostly on repeat customers.
- 维护客户比开发新客户容易。Keeping clients is easier than finding new ones.
- 有问题可以联系我们售后。If there's a problem, contact our after-sales team.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Sales & clients speaking island has 8 everyday questions about sales & clients to prepare your own answers to.