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Cross-cultural marketer and international sales specialist - Aligning businesses with different cultures


Study Traditional Paths To International Business Development For More Online Success

by Cindy on May 14, 2008

International Business Development

In the past when businesses wanted to expand internationally, there were only 7 ways to take action:

  • Sell Directly To Your Foreign Clients From Your Home Offices
  • Open A Local Office To Represent Your Business
  • Create An Overseas Subsidiary
  • Hire A Sales Agent To Sell To Foreign Markets
  • Find A Foreign Distributor
  • Develop A Franchise Overseas
  • Enter Into A Joint-Venture

If you would like to read about the advantages and disadvantages of each of these options, you will find more on Get International Clients.

Today, of course, Internet Marketing opens a new doorway.

Many online businesses have international clients. Some online businesses actively market to international audiences, but most do not. It is easier to stay with one domestic website and kid yourself you are marketing globally because “the internet is global”.

Even fewer international online businesses use a mixture of marketing channels both online and offline. And yet is obvious that a good mixture of multi-channel marketing gets more international sales. Good multi-channel marketing requires serious foreign market research for best results. And it often requires a budget few small businesses want to get into.

Online businesses actively marketing to their international audiences need to stop, and take a few steps away from their online business, to look at the other paths to successful international expansion.

There are a few traditional business development strategies that might be interesting to look into. Hiring a sales agent in your target foreign market, who gets paid on commission, is an option most online businesses could look into.

Online businesses can tumble into international sales without any preparation. This is a wonderful opportunity to look closer at all of the options for international expansion.


Here are a few more International Business Development articles:
- European eCommerce Market Still Strong
- Should Successful Internet Marketers Get Into International Marketing?
- 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

Here's to your international success,


Cindy King
Cross Cultural Copywriter & International Sales Specialist
Find out about working with Cindy
Study Traditional Paths To International Business Development For More Online Success