Take Time To Qualify Your International Leads

Qualify International Leads

Good sales professionals do not want to waste time on leads that will never turn into sales.  This is why they qualify their leads.  To concentrate their efforts where they have the most chance of success.

Lead qualification in international sales is also important.  The international element can potentially increase your costs in getting leads.  So you do not want to waste your efforts.

Remember, a good lead qualification process tells you where to focus your time and effort for a maximum sales.

International Leads Need More Time To Qualify

If you are just starting international sales, lead qualification can be a little tricky.  Cross-cultural communication can:

• Make appearance deceiving
• Slow the sales process
• Influence sales timing

This is why you must think about your lead disqualification process very carefully for international sales.

If you disqualify international leads based only on your own assumptions you could disqualify valid leads too soon.

Yes, experience in a specific cultural market does help you to make better disqualification decisions.  But, you will also find that your qualification process will probably need to be adjusted for each foreign market you sell to.

International Market Intelligence

There is a major advantage to this different sales process.  If you take the time to listen to your international prospects you can learn much more through this direct sales contact than through standard market research.

This is why international sales professionals must communicate closely with their company’s other international sales and marketing staff.

A little bit of good teamwork behind the scenes and some extra analysis on the front lines can give your company a competitive edge.

And who knows, you may see other sales opportunities because you take the time to listen and use company teamwork to respond to new markets.

Balance Your Lead Qualification Process

The lead qualification process can be have a different timing.  It can be shorter or it can be longer.  Your evaluation process may need to change.  But while you adjust to your international lead qualification process, keep in mind the value of:

• Giving your international clients the time to buy
• Getting international market intelligence from direct contact with your foreign markets

A good international lead qualification process is based on balancing these elements into the sales equation.

More From Cindy

Interested in reading more on my personal opinions and experiences on how to connect with international markets?

CindyKing.biz International Sales

Read The Whole Story

• How can you connect with your international clients?

• What communication do you need to connect with international markets?

• What are the key components of an effective international marketing strategy?

This is part of the Core Business Guide 6 Run Your International Sales Strategy Be sure to check out the other elements you need to run your international sales strategy

And for many businesses this is also a part of the Core Business Guide 4 Build Your International Marketing Strategy Be sure to check out the other elements you need to build your international marketing strategy

Need Help?

Need instructions?

• Instructions on how to use Your International Sales Road Map

Need to see where this fits in?

• A complete list of current Core Business Guides & Sub Guides for Your International Sales Road Map.

Still confused? Review your answers in the first Core Business Guide

• Core Business Guide 1 - Discover Your International Business

Simply click on one of the 8 different color coded boxes immediately below to access other core business guides.

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2.9

Preparation For International Sales

Are there any changes you need to make before you start to sell to international markets.

If you are currently selling to a market you are familiar with, you will need to make some adjustments when you first start selling to international clients.

Schedule More “Listening” Time

You see, the sales pitch that works for your market at home, will probably not work well abroad. And if even if it does, you will need to increase the “listening” time prior to giving your sales pitch.

Before you can sell to your new international clients you need to listen to them. And cross-cultural communication barriers may make this step a little slow at first.

But without this extra “listening” time, you could make a few international sales and think that your marketing is fine for this new market, when in fact, it is not all that great.

What does this mean? You need to talk to your international clients. Get to know them. Find out what their problems are. And, why these are problems.

Brainstorm The Benefits Of Your Product

Does this mean you should forget about your sales pitch?

No. But there one exercise you should do before you call your international clients.

Brainstorm a list of all of the benefits of your product.

• Start with the features. List all of them.
• For each feature, put at least one benefit
• For each benefit, try to come up with a deeper benefit
• Identify who these benefits may appeal to
• Identify any triggers or personality traits for these people
• Keep this information with you

Find All Types Of Benefits

What types of benefits should you note? All of them:

• Technical
• Financial
• Process related
• General appeal
• Specific to the environment, or in any other way

This is, in fact, the first step to creating your international sales cheat sheet.

Update Your Information

Keep this list of benefits near you whenever you communicate with your new international market.

• As you make your phone calls with your international prospects and clients.
• When you write to them
• When they provide feedback in any form

And the next step is important:

• Ask questions, communicate in a way to stimulate feedback on your questions.

As you ask questions, you will build up your international market intelligence to help you craft the best sales communication for your new international audience.

What type of questions to ask?  Questions that will help you understand your international clients better, such as:

• What are you interested in?
• Why is this important to you?
• Are you more interested in the money you can save, or in increased productivity?

You should focus on asking questions to get to know your international clients, and not automatically fall into your standard sales pitch.

And remember to listen to everything your international clients tell you.  Even the smallest bit of information can in fact lead to you understanding a major trigger for more international sales in that market.  But you may miss it, unless you make an effort to understand everything.

Start Your International Sales Cheat Sheet

Review your list of benefits with the information you get back from your international clients.  And adjust your communication to respond to each markets specific needs, concerns and problems.

After a few phone calls for example, you should have the beginning of your International Sales Cheat Sheet.  This is a short guideline that gives you the best responses to key sales questions for each foreign market.

An International Sales Cheat Sheet is a valuable tool for all companies.  It helps you to identify the international markets available for your business.

More From Cindy

Interested in reading more on my personal opinions and experiences on how to connect with international markets?

CindyKing.biz International Sales

Read The Whole Story

This is part of the Core Business Guide 6 Run Your International Sales Strategy Be sure to check out the other elements you need to run your international sales strategy

Need Help?

Need instructions?

• Instructions on how to use Your International Sales Road Map

Need to see where this fits in?

• A complete list of current Core Business Guides & Sub Guides for Your International Sales Road Map.

Still confused? Review your answers in the first Core Business Guide

• Core Business Guide 1 - Discover Your International Business

Simply click on one of the 8 different color coded boxes immediately below to access other core business guides.

Rate this:

2.9

Where Clarity Strengthens Your International Sales

Clarity is vital in cross-cultural communication.  It builds trust. Any lack of clarity in your communication can potentially cause those dreaded cultural blunders.

And clarity is also key in international sales. In addition to building trust, clarity makes the sale easier.

Why?

Because, when you bring clarity into your sales and marketing, your sales strategy becomes stronger.

Here are 7 areas where clarity strengthens your international sales.

Your Products And Services

Do your international clients understand what your product is and what it can do for them?

Clearly define products or services.

Your Ideal Foreign Client

Do you know who your ideal foreign client is?

Do you have a very clear picture of your foreign client’s demographic and psychographic profile?

Clearly identify your ideal client.

Your Sales Pitch

Do you know what it is about your product that interests your product foreign clients?

Adjust your sales pitch to clearly target your foreign prospect.

Your Sales Process

Do you know how your international clients want to be sold?

Are you approaching your international prospects in the right way to make a sale?

Outline a clear sales process for your international clients.

Your Marketing Message

Do you clearly communicate the value your foreign client will get from your product and services for your ideal client?

Is this the value he perceives?  Or is it the value you perceive?

Make your marketing message clear for your international clients.

Your International Communication

Are your marketing and sales materials easy to read for your international audience?

Can you improve the clarity of your communication?  Can you make it easier for your international readers?

Aim for clarity throughout all of your communication.

Your Offer

Do your international clients immediately understand your offer to them?

Do they know that you want their purchase?  Have you answered all of their objections?

Give your international readers a clear call to action.

Work For Clarity

When you come across a clearly crafted sales strategy, it can appear to be easy to do.  But in fact, to bring clarity throughout your international marketing and sales, you will need to work at it.

As you can see above, you need to have an intimate understanding of your ideal international clients.  This takes time and effort on your part.

The good news is that this work is well worth your effort. An international sales strategy with clarity is one of your best investments for your international business development.

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Why Should You Want International Clients?

Quick answers to…

Today’s question is:

Why should you want international clients?

This was an interesting question that came up several times recently.

There are those who are totally driven by the idea of creating a worldwide company. And then there are others who need reasons.

I’ll only give you one observation here.

It often appears to me that companies only really appreciate the value of international clients when the going gets very tough in their domestic markets.

This is something I have experienced first hand on several occasions, within different companies.  The classic scenario I have noted is:

International sales were needed to make a product range profitable. Until then international sales were considered icing on the cake.

A product unexpectedly lost money on domestic sales and it was the international sales profits that saved the day.

This gave everyone time to respond and make better decisions.

But there is one big hitch…

• International sales can only really save you from a bad domestic economy if you have the international sales structure and international business intelligence already in place.

Most people think of the prestigious aspect to be able to identify themselves with an international company.

But the real value is in learning how your products are used and appreciated in other cultures. This knowledge and skill also helps you to get better at what you do best back home.

Different cultures will always have a different take on your products and services. If you fully understand this for all of the different countries you sell to, you can actually improve your own sales pitch, your sales processes and strategies in all of the countries you sell to.

It’s not only the extra clients and money you can get for your business. It’s also about what the extra markets out there can teach you about your business.

And yes, once you have acquired these stronger business skills, you are more capable of identifying additional international business opportunities you would not see otherwise.

International business spreads your risk out across a broader base and it helps you improve your business skills for your domestic market.

Need More Inspiration?

Guide 6 - Analyze Your International Viability • Do you want to know your chances of success?• Do you want to know how to improve your chances of international success? Read about how to create a viability analysis to keep your international business on track for success.

Guide 7 - Run With Your International Sales Strategy • Do you need help setting up your international sales strategy? • Do you want to know what to say to your foreign prospects to get the sale? Read about how to create your international sales strategy.

More From Cindy

Interested in reading more on my personal opinions and experiences with cultural communication and international sales?

CindyKing.biz on cross-cultural communication

Read the whole story

This is part of the Get International Clients Business Guide 1 Discover Your International Business Be sure to check out the other useful tips to discover your international business.

Need Help?

Need instructions?

• Instructions on how to use Your International Sales Road Map

Need to see where this fits in?

• A complete list of current Core Business Guides & Sub Guides for Your International Sales Road Map.

Still confused? Review your answers in the first Core Business Guide

• Core Business Guide 1 - Discover Your International Business

Simply click on one of the 8 different color coded boxes immediately below to access other core business guides.

Rate this:

3.2

Plan Your Foreign Language Content

Culture customized content builds stronger connections in your international markets.

But, what do you do when you want to use culture customized content for stronger international presence, and…

…your international development budget is small?
…your company wants to be cautious?

How do you reconcile this with everything you think you need:

• A full foreign language website
• Complete selection of foreign language marketing materials
• An international sales force

Well, instead of looking at how your current business communicates with your domestic market…

How about starting at the other end?

Let’s look at what happens when you start with your culture customized content.

Plan The Content You Need To Translate

When you plan the content you need to translate, you usually realize that you will need to update your content within a relatively short period of time.

Why is this?

Simply because…

When you first start to communicate with a foreign market, you do not know it well enough to write your most effective communication.

Even if you hire outside companies to tell you what your message should be, you will only really find out what your market needs once you start direct communication yourself.

Now, if you know you will need to change your communication in a short period of time, how do you start?

One Product In One Language

It is standard practice in international business development to start off with one product to one country. This is the easiest way for companies to learn how to adapt to new markets specifically and international business in general.

This also makes it a lot easier for you to plan:

• The content you need to translate
• Time lines and guidelines for future strategy
• Future actions to extend your reach
• Other key parameters you need

Plan For Your Future Content

Your first foreign language content will probably be based on some of your existing content.

You will want to use this to develop culture customized content. This culture customized content creates stronger connections in your new foreign markets. And…

Because you need to have your own market feedback from your new target country, you will need to modify your first translations.

Many companies do not plan for this change in content. After all the translations were an investment, and they want a return on it before sinking more money into translations.

Some companies will change their international message later on. If they realize their message is not effective.

Many larger companies simply let their international sales team pick up the extra responsibility of correcting the “wrong” messages in their written communication.

This mistake is very common in large American companies, eager to keep control on their brand while selling abroad.

There is a very simple solution to getting your message right for your international markets:

• Start small.
• Plan for change.
• Stimulate feedback to learn more about YOUR foreign markets
• Adapt your message to the culture you are communicating with

Planning for your future content right from the start will both save you extra translation costs and give you a foreign sales message with a bang.

Evaluate The Best Marketing Channels

Imagine you know:

• Precisely what you want to communicate now,
• What information you want to get back from your foreign markets,
• And what you want to communicate later?

Well then…

Now you can determine the right international marketing channel to use to communicate this content.

Of course, you will also need to get feedback from your target markets to verify the marketing channels they want you to use to communicate with them.

This means adding a few more criteria for you to get feedback on.

When you get

• The right message,
• Sent to your foreign markets on the right marketing channel,

…you have the base of a good international marketing strategy.

Choose The Communication Platforms You Need

Now you know:

• What you want to communicate.
• How you want to communicate your message.

Your communication platform needs are usually very easy to identify now.

In addition, the content planning you did earlier will tell you what you need to plan for in the future.

Added Bonus

And one of the other questions most companies struggle with:

• Which communication platform should you use for your foreign language content?

• Your domestic website with country-specific sub categories or sub domains
• An international website
• Localized websites

Well, you now have something to go on to answer this question.  Of course, there are other criteria to look at, but this gives you the criteria covering your foreign content needs.

Read the whole story

More On Culture Customized Content

Once your initial translations bring in some feedback and you have enough country-specific business intelligence, you will want to create a message adapted to your specific foreign market.

Culture Customized Content Guide • What is the secret to effective international business development?Find out here.

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Start With One Product

One of the first stumbling block many businesses face once they decide to develop their business internationally is thinking they need to sell all of their current products abroad.

You can, of course, sell your full range of products abroad through your current location. This is more an Export Marketing approach.

To fully develop each of your international markets you need to start an International Marketing approach.

If you still have questions here, please have a look at the 5 different stages of international marketing.

International business development requires change and adaptation. Adapting several products to one foreign market at the same time can be difficult. It may even be misleading.

It is best to prioritize which products you want to market to foreign clients.

There are several ways to choose which product to start with:

• The product that brings you the biggest return on investment.
• The easiest product to develop
• The cheapest product to develop
• The product with the best foreign market potential

For most businesses the way how you choose your first product is not of vital importance.

What is important is choosing one product and taking this one product to individual countries one at a time.

This is how you will learn the skills you need to become an international company.

Read the whole story

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International Lead Generation

Last updated 28 October 2008

In This Business Guide:

Creating Your Lead Generation Strategy

• Do You Need An International Marketing Pipeline?
• Read This And Learn Where To Find More International Sales
• Why Your International Lead Is Key To Your International Success
• How To Define Your International Lead And Revise It For Success
• Take Time To Qualify Your International Leads
• How To Qualify Your International Lead With The BANTS Formula
• First Step To Create Your International Lead Generation Plan
• Where To Fit Your Marketing Pipeline Into Your International Lead Generation Plan
• Guidelines For Your Basic International Lead Nurturing Plan

Tools To Use In Your Lead Generation Strategy

• When Digital Products Open International Markets
• How An Information Product Strategy Develops Lead Generation Beyond Your Current Borders
• Information Products Open The Door To International Development For Brick And Mortar Businesses
• How Information Products Sold In Foreign Markets Can Save Your Business When Your Economy Is Slow
• How Offline Businesses Can Learn From Infopreneurs To Develop Outside Markets

More From Cindy
Read The Whole Story
Need Help?

If you really want to develop your international business and get more sales you need a system. You also need to incorporate this system into an international marketing strategy.

The right international marketing strategy will bring in leads from different countries. An effective international marketing strategy is based on several different marketing strategies including:

• Traditional international marketing - for the core strategy
• Cross-cultural marketing - to get the right communication
• International web marketing - for easy international business development
• Strategic marketing - to get your message right
• Multichannel marketing - to create intimacy with the right marketing mix

Remember to check out the Core Business Guide 4 - Build Your International Marketing Strategy to see how all of your international marketing strategies fit together.

Your international lead generation strategy is another component of an effective international marketing strategy. Your international lead generation strategy leverages the power of your international web marketing. It works for you to bring in your international leads.

Use you international website as an international lead generation system.

Don’t forget to check back here again soon. This guide is regularly updated.

Creating Your Lead Generation Strategy

Do You Need An International Marketing Pipeline? • Have you got your online international sales strategy all wrong? • What is the trend towards more international business? • What is your current marketing pipeline? Read more here.

Read This And Learn Where To Find More International Sales • Would you like to find out what triggered your first international sales? • Would you like to cultivate those triggers to get more international sales? Find out how by clicking here.

Why Your International Lead Is Key To Your International Success • Do you have the right definition for your international lead? • Why is defining your international lead important? Read more here.

How To Define Your International Lead And Revise It For Success • Why should you start with a clear definition for what a lead is to your company? • Should you qualify this definition as precisely as you can? • Do you need to revise your definition? Find out more here.

Take Time To Qualify Your International Leads • Have your adapted your lead qualification for international sales? • Do you know why you should not disqualify leads too quickly? Read more about how to qualify international leads.

How To Qualify Your International Lead With The BANTS Formula • What is the BANTS formula? • How can you get better marketing? Get the answers here.

First Step To Create Your International Lead Generation Plan • What should you do first to get more international clients? • What are the advantages of measurement? Find out here.

Where To Fit Your Marketing Pipeline Into Your International Lead Generation Plan • What are the three parts of your international lead generation plan? • What marketing do you need to do for more effective lead generation? Click through here to find out.

Guidelines For Your Basic International Lead Nurturing Plan • How do you use lead nurturing to create relationships? • Would you like a basic outline of what to do? Get started here.

Tools To Use In Your Lead Generation Strategy

When Digital Products Open International Markets • Are you stuck on deciding which product to sell abroad? • Would you like an easy solution to stimulate international market research? Find out how digital products can help you here.

How An Information Product Strategy Develops Lead Generation Beyond Your Current Borders • Are you getting all of the sales value you can from your information products? • Would you like to get more mileage out of your information products? Get started here.

Information Products Open The Door To International Development For Brick And Mortar Businesses • Would you like to take the risk out of international business development? • Would you like to create an international lead generation system from your current office? See how you can get started here.

How Information Products Sold In Foreign Markets Can Save Your Business When Your Economy Is Slow • Are you optimizing all of your current products and expertise in your foreign markets? • Would you like an easy source of revenue from international markets? See why you should be doing this by clicking through here.

How Offline Businesses Can Learn From Infopreneurs To Develop Outside Markets • What can brick and mortar businesses learn from infopreneurs? • Are you optimizing all of your information products? See why you should be doing this by clicking through here.

More From Cindy

Interested in reading more on my personal opinions and experiences on how to connect with international markets?

CindyKing.biz International Sales

Read The Whole Story

• How can you connect with your international clients?

• What communication do you need to connect with international markets?

• What are the key components of an effective international marketing strategy?

This is part of the Core Business Guide 6 Run Your International Sales Strategy Be sure to check out the other elements you need to run your international sales strategy

And for many businesses this is also a part of the Core Business Guide 4 Build Your International Marketing Strategy Be sure to check out the other elements you need to build your international marketing strategy

Need Help?

Need instructions?

• Instructions on how to use Your International Sales Road Map

Need to see where this fits in?

• A complete list of current Core Business Guides & Sub Guides for Your International Sales Road Map.

Still confused? Review your answers in the first Core Business Guide

• Core Business Guide 1 - Discover Your International Business

Simply click on one of the 8 different color coded boxes immediately below to access other core business guides.

Rate this:

3.2

Guide 7 - Run With Your International Sales Strategy