Export Guide · 03
First separate three things that often get mixed together: agency operation, coaching and training. Pick the wrong model and the money is spent without solving the problem.
First separate three phrases that get used interchangeably: agency operation is I do it, you review. Coaching is you do it, I keep you on track. Training is I teach you, and once you’ve got it, I leave. Pick the wrong model and the money is gone while the problem stays.
Agency operation: execution sits with the provider, the client reviews. For factories without the manpower but with a stable budget and the ability to keep investing.
Coaching: the client does the work, the provider corrects the course and lends a hand when you’re stuck. For factories with people who are willing to learn — the advantage is that the capability stays in-house.
Training and handover: teach the method, hand over the process manual, done. For teams that are already running and just need to standardise.
1. Whose name are the accounts and domain registered under?
The correct answer: the client company. If they’re vague, walk away.
2. What exactly is delivered each month?
Numbers you can write into a contract: how many articles, how many platforms, how many review sessions. If they can’t put a number on it, you’ll be arguing about it later.
3. Who reviews the data, and how often?
This is the most valuable item and the easiest to overlook. A service with no fixed review cycle has nobody accountable for results.
4. What don’t you promise?
A provider who states their limits up front is worth talking to; one who guarantees enquiry volume or rankings in the first sentence is out.
5. If I stop midway, how does the handover work?
It has to be complete: accounts, materials, processes, source code. If they can’t hand it over, you’re locked in.
When the product isn’t settled and the pricing structure isn’t built — agency operation solves “being seen”, not “what to sell”.
When you expect someone else to land the customers for you — nobody can quote for you, negotiate lead times for you, or carry product responsibility for you.
When the budget only covers a month or two — B2B search and social both need time to compound; short-term spending is close to money thrown away.
When the product is defined, pricing is set and you’re willing to take part in the reviews — and all you lack is a storefront and a steady lead channel. At that point outsourcing is faster than learning from scratch.
Q: Can agency operation guarantee enquiry volume?
A: No. Whether enquiries come depends on your product, your price and market conditions. We commit to deliverables and process quality, and reviews speak with real numbers.
Q: Agency operation or hiring a salesperson — which is better value?
A: A salesperson is a long-term fixed cost (salary plus social insurance) and needs someone to manage them; agency operation is billed per project or per month and the capability is ready-made. Once volume is steady, an in-house team is better value — so the usual order is outsource to prove it, then build in-house.
Q: How long before I can tell whether it’s worth it?
A: Use three months as an observation window: were deliverables on time, did reviews lead to real actions, did the numbers move in a direction. Judging on enquiry count alone leads to wrong conclusions.
Further reading: The first step for a domestic factory · What an export website actually costs