Time passes quickly. When I joined SYZ Machine at the beginning of 2022, I was not yet 24. I am now in my fifth year with the company. My first role was mainly to support the orders of key customers, analyze their purchasing patterns, and use those insights to support customer development.
As I became more familiar with the business, I realized that basic order service was not enough. I began offering more personalized support, learning product details in greater depth, and gradually participating in technical assistance and customer service. Based on that experience, I also helped colleagues evaluate potential new product opportunities. This behind-the-scenes work gave me a deeper understanding of the North American and European markets, our rod end and bearing and machined product lines, and the way our internal teams work together.
I continued improving my workflow and building stronger cooperation across departments. Those challenges kept me positive and led me to look for a new way to stretch myself. I applied for a transfer in the summer of 2024 and formally moved into business development at the beginning of 2025. I have now been in the role for one year and seven months. The challenge in my new role is no longer only serving existing customers. It is also finding prospects, identifying needs, winning cooperation, and developing long-term relationships. Over the past year and a half, I have studied opportunities across the UTV and ATV market, pickup and off-road modifications, agricultural equipment, and construction machinery. I have independently developed one A-level UTV modification customer and one A-level pickup and off-road modification customer. Among customers assigned through operations, I also identified new product needs for one truck-industry customer and am exploring opportunities in agricultural equipment.
My main approach is still email outreach, supported by my personal social platforms. The foundation of identifying a need is deep research into the customer, our product lines, and the capabilities we can genuinely support. After building experience across different industries, I can make more accurate judgments about which products fit our capabilities and where we have a competitive advantage.
Finding a need is not the end goal. Turning that need into a real order is where I invest the most thought. Customer decisions are influenced by product requirements, project conditions, personal considerations, and the relationship between the customer and supplier. I first consider our cost advantages and then develop a reasonable price. I verify technical requirements carefully and explain relevant production details so the customer can make a confident decision. Different customers need different cooperation plans. For customers who value convenience and flexible processes, I may offer a door-to-door solution and emphasize one-stop purchasing. The goal is to become a useful link in their supply chain rather than only a supplier for one narrow product. For large groups with fixed and demanding procurement procedures, the priority is to adapt fully to their rules and prove the stability and consistency of our supply.
Winning a project can feel like preparing for a difficult contest. We need to understand the other side, understand ourselves, and create a plan that fits the situation. My previous experience serving VIP customers has helped me develop relationships by anticipating needs, preventing order problems, and adjusting my service to what each customer values. Product and process knowledge are important because they strengthen trust and make the customer more willing to cooperate. Over the past year and a half, I have increasingly understood that although cooperation ends in a project or order, progress is created through communication between people. No statement is completely objective. Customers bring emotions and opinions into their words, and communication is a space where both sides respond to one another. I am learning to recognize those emotions and offer a thoughtful response instead of sounding like a cold automated service.
I believe friendship can last longer than a transaction, but a transaction alone cannot create a real friendship. Understanding and emotional connection matter. Emotions are also contagious. I want customers to think of me and feel something bright and positive, which means I first need to notice the good in work and life and pass that energy on.
I am also learning to work with a more flexible rhythm. Staying tense all the time is like running a fixed-speed air conditioner: it consumes too much energy and cannot operate sustainably. To go further in business, I need to become more like an inverter air conditioner, adjusting to priorities and balancing effort with recovery.
The road ahead is long. I look forward to meeting more customers, developing more projects, and doing everything I can to deliver them successfully. I also look forward to seeing how the future continues to change me.