Investment Tier Guide

Every importer in our database is assigned an Investment Priority Tier: A, B, or C. This is the single most important number for prioritizing your outreach.

Tier A — Direct Approach

Criteria: High-value buyer + open supply chain + confirmed China sourcing

What it means: This buyer already sources from China, imports significant volume, and doesn't have a single dominant supplier. You can pitch directly.

Recommended action:

• Open with a cold inquiry or sample offer on their top HS code
• Reference their existing China sourcing relationship
• Close within 30–60 days if you can match on quality + lead time

Tier B — Strategic Entry

Tier B splits into two subtypes:

B1 — Gateway Check First

Criteria: High-value buyer + open supply chain + no China sourcing

What it means: Big buyer, open to new suppliers — but they've never sourced from China. Could be compliance, HQ mandate, or just untapped.

Recommended action:

• Research compliance requirements (FDA equivalent, INVIMA approval)
• Check if their category has import restrictions from China
• If no barrier: pitch as a quality/price alternative
• If barrier: position as a Latin American warehouse partner

B2 — Wait for Trigger

Criteria: High-value buyer + locked supply chain

What it means: Big buyer, but top 1-3 suppliers control 70%+ of their imports. Hard to break in cold.

Recommended action:

• Monitor for supply disruptions (price spikes, delivery delays, supplier exits)
• Position as a certified backup supplier
• Start with small trial orders during quiet periods

Tier C — Automated Nurture

Criteria: Lower volume or very fragmented purchasing

What it means: Not worth significant human sales effort. Add to automated email sequences and revisit if they scale up.

Decision Matrix

High Volume?
├── Yes → Supply chain open?
│         ├── Yes → China sourcing?
│         │         ├── Yes → Tier A ✅
│         │         └── No  → Tier B1
│         └── No  → Tier B2
└── No  → Tier C