A distributor in Accra or Dakar receives supplier approaches constantly. Most go unanswered — not because the product is wrong, but because the approach fails a filter that takes them under a minute to apply.
1. Whether you have ever shipped to the region
The first question is not about your product. It is whether you have moved goods into West Africa before, because that determines whether the deal will actually complete or collapse at the port.
If you have not, say so plainly and say who is handling it for you. An honest “first shipment to your market, handled by a partner who does this regularly” reads far better than implied experience that falls apart on the second email.
2. Minimum order quantity, stated upfront
MOQ is the single most common reason a promising conversation dies. The importer asks, the supplier gives a number three times what the market can absorb, and the thread ends.
Put your MOQ in the first message. If it is high, say what it is in containers rather than units — importers think in containers, not pieces. And if consolidation with other orders is possible, that fact is worth more than a discount.
3. Duty treatment on your origin
Landed cost decides the deal, and the Incoterm you quote together with duty is a large part of it. An importer comparing your quote against a Turkish or Chinese supplier is comparing after-duty prices, not your ex-works number.
Know the applicable rate for your product in that specific country before you quote. Regional trade arrangements do not apply uniformly across West Africa, and stating a preferential rate that does not apply in that market destroys your credibility at exactly the wrong moment.
4. Whether the documentation will be right
Certificates of origin, phytosanitary or health certificates for food, conformity assessment where required, and correct commercial invoicing. A container held at the port for a paperwork error costs the importer demurrage every day, and they pay it, not you.
Importers have all been burned by this. Being specific about which documents you issue, and who prepares them, is a stronger sales argument than product features.
5. Whether there is someone to call
Time zones, languages and email chains that go quiet. The practical question behind every supplier evaluation is what happens when something goes wrong at 4pm on a Friday.
A named contact who answers, in a language the importer works in, is a genuine differentiator. Most suppliers do not offer it.
What this means for your first message
The approaches that get answered are short and answer the filters before they are asked: what the product is, what the MOQ is, what the duty position is, who handles the export side, and who they will be dealing with. Product catalogues can come after the reply.
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