Do you sell products to international clients?
There is a difference in:
- Selling the products and services your company makes to your direct clients, business-to-business or consumers.
- Selling other peoples products and services to either resellers or direct clients.
Readers are sometimes confused on where they need to look for foreign buyers. This confusion leads many international sellers to ask me to sell their products for them. They mistake me for an international sales agent or importer.
I help people define their international sales strategy, find the offer they need to see to a specific foreign market, and I also write content with these objective.
Sales agents and importers actually bring in the wares.
They come into play one step after what I do.
What Exactly Do You Do?
It is important to take the time to read Step 1 of the International Sales Road Map and identify your international business platform and your specific needs:
Please read this business guide and these 2 articles in particular :
- 5 Traditional Marketing Steps To Become An International Business
- 7 Traditional Paths To International Business Development
If you are still not clear about what type of international business you have and how to find the right partners for your business online, then sign up for the Get International Clients newsletter.
This weekly newsletter is an Action Guide for the International Sales Road Map. In the first 8 weeks through the first cycle of 8 steps you will go through a series of questions.
Answering these questions will get you to position your international business and find where you fit.
You need to clearly identify your business activity. This will help you to identify:
- Others in your area of business
- The information you need
- And the right words to use in your Google search
Exporters
- Do you call yourself a “seller”?
- Do you sell products?
Then you are an exporter.
Exporters can be:
- Companies that specialize solely in selling products from other companies to foreign clients. They have no domestic business.
- Businesses with a domestic activity opening up to foreign clients. This can be the first step to develop international markets.
How To Find International Buyers
Exporters need to find lists of people interested in buying or importing.
Just like exporters, importers can be:
- Companies that specialize solely in buying products from abroad to sell to others.
- Businesses with a domestic activity opening up to foreign clients. This can be the first step to develop international markets.
To find the best match to sell your products you need to know who you will sell to.
As you research your international buyers or importers you need to look for your best opportunities.
Will your buyers be
- Importers?
- Companies who need your product?
Your answer to this question will determine who you need to approach.
An easy option is also to hire an international agent. This person can do all of the work for you.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both options, which I will cover later.
And remember, you still need to do some marketing. Don’t expect resellers and agents to carry full responsibility for your product’s marketing.
Towards International Business
As your export business grows, you understand and learn more about your international markets. Despite this, many exporters remain exporters. They never develop an international business.
There are other factors involved. but…
The reason behind this can be choice, or a lack of specific international market intelligence.
Here is an example of a logical progression from an exporter to an international business.
- You export directly to businesses who use your products.
- You will probably learn enough about your particular market to move into the next phase of international business.
- This is where begin to develop one country at a time and begin International Marketing.
This is how some exporter businesses move into becoming international businesses.
- They carry out international marketing, one specific country at a time.
- They gather market intelligence through carrying out their business.
- They use this market intelligence to adapt your sales process and products to different markets.
To develop your export business fully you need to use the appropriate business model and marketing.
And also…
To develop your export business into an international business you need to apply the right business models and marketing strategies.
Read The Whole Story
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This is part of the Get International Clients Business Guide 7 Run With Your International Sales Strategy Find out more on selling to international clients. |
