Are You An International Exporter?

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:

• Discover Your International Business

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

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.

Is International Marketing On The Web Different?

In the offline world, international marketing goes through a distinct sequence.

5 Stages Of International Marketing

This sequence happens because different countries do business differently. Different countries have:

• Different habits
• Different legislations
• Different markets
• Different uses for your products
• Different client profiles

The 5 different stages of international marketing allow businesses to adapt to these differences. The 5 different stages are:

1. Domestic Marketing
2. Export Marketing
3. International Marketing
4. Multinational Marketing
5. Global Marketing

Read more about these different stages in: 5 Traditional Marketing Steps To Become An International Business

International Web Marketing

Most international web marketers jump straight into the deep end: Global marketing.

There is one similarity between Domestic Marketing and Global Marketing: Read more

How To Use International Marketing Strategy To Plan For Your Globalized Website

Last Updated 17 August 2008

I’ve had quite a few questions lately on how to move towards a globalized website.

And the marketer in me responds by looking at your company’s current business, what you are marketing and where you are selling your products or services.

Prior Planning Makes All The Difference

It is important for any online business with a desire for international expansion to know what is involved in website globalization. A little prior planning can save you lots of time, money and aggravation in your next steps towards getting more international clients.

Why? Read more

5 Traditional Marketing Steps To Become An International Business

International Business Development With An Easy 5 Step International Marketing Plan

So you want to get more international clients, and realize that you need to do some international marketing. But you are not quite sure what to do.

Well let’s have a look at the different areas of international marketing. Companies often go through these steps one after the other, but not always. You could start an export business for example without going through the first step of Domestic Marketing.

Each step clearly explains:

• where your company is selling, and
• what product you are selling.

You will see very clearly where your company’s business requirements are today with regards to International Marketing. This will also give you a better understanding of what your next step is towards getting more international clients. Read more