International Business Development
Market research can have a bigger role to play in international business development than when selling to your domestic market.
Why?
Because you need to start from the beginning when learning about foreign markets.
You can look at international market research from 3 angles:
Primary Market Research
This is the hardest. This is the market research no one wants to do.
Why?
This is where you gather information about your market. This information gives you what you need to:
- Position your products
- Find the right offer
- Find the right price
You need to be in direct contact with your market to find the right answers. The only way to do it right is by rolling up your sleeves and doing it.
Secondary Market Research
This is the easiest. This is the market research everyone thinks about doing first.
Why?
This is gathering information online, getting published reports. This information gives you:
- Broad industry information
- Regulatory and legal information
- Industry and country trends
This information is usually easy to find or track down. The publicly available information may be out of date though. And you may have to pay consultants or research firms high prices to get current information.
Ongoing Market Research
This is what most people forget to do. This is the process you need to set in place in order to get:
- Wider international business intelligence to improve your overall marketing and positioning
- Current market research to identify trends
Without ongoing international market research you can easily go off course.
It Is A Process
Don’t forget…
International business development cannot follow pre-set templates.
It is a process. You need to have the right tools and a strategy to help you through this process.
Marketing is part of this process. And market research gives you the tools.
In international marketing you equally need both:
- Market Research - to define your international market and learn how to get to know it
- Marketing - to communicate, build relationships and persuade
And you can see why market research comes first.
In international marketing the process of defining your international market takes a bit more time, effort and skill than when marketing to your own country. You need to develop your market research more.
Don’t Forget Your Tools
You also need to adapt your international marketing to provide the tools you need to make the best business decisions for your international business development.
Don’t forget any of these 3 aspects of market research:
- Primary Market Research
- Secondary Market Research
- Ongoing Market Research
Carry out all three and they will give you valuable tools for your international business development.
Here are a few more International Business Development articles:
- Plans With Adaptability, Flexibility And Agility
- Aligning Your Questions To Build Your International Business
- 5 Actions To Start Developing Your International Markets
- When Discrimination Is Useful In International Business
- Are You Outsourcing Too Much?
- European eCommerce Market Still Strong
- Should Successful Internet Marketers Get Into International Marketing?
- Online Success? Study Traditional Paths To International Business Development For More
- Action Strategy For International Business Development
- The Business Of Content
- Brick And Mortar Companies Use Information Products For International Business Development
- Is The Expense Of Foreign Travel Stopping You From Getting International Clients?
- New International Business Development Phase Today With The Right Marketing Mix
- Boost Your Company Way Out Of Your Local Recession Field
- Case Study For Getting Your Website Visible In Japan
- Information Products Can Save Your Business In A Slow Economy
- Internet Success For An Isolated Brick and Mortar Store
- Third Transition To A Global Market Internet Business
- Internet Strategies For French PME
- International Marketing Strategy For Small Businesses - The Right Mindset
- Small Businesses Need To Take Action To Uncover International Business Opportunities
And read even more in the…
Get International Clients International Sales Road Map
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Guide 2 - Plan Your International Sales Road MapThe International Sales Road Map gives you a simple step-by-step process to run through once, and then repeat as you progress in your international business expansion. The International Sales Road Map shows you how and when to implement the other Get International Clients Business Guides. |
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Cindy King is a Cross-Cultural Marketer and International Sales Specialist, with over 25 years field experience in international business development.
Learn how you can get more international sales |
