International Sales In A Fast Food World

Cindy King — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:00:11 +0000

International Sales Strategy

My international business directory, Get International Clients, gives businesses an easy process to get international sales.

The wealth of information there attracts a wide variety of people. And today I want to address one particular type of reader.

The individual with a single idea or product who wants to reach international clients.

The emails I get from this type of person are always the same.

I have this wonderful widget or my widget is in this category or I don’t have a widget, but I can get which ever one it takes
I want international clients
Help me

Two thoughts that come to mind with this type of email:

You need a business structure to build an international business. If you are sitting at home with an idea, a book or a product, this is not a business structure.
I wonder whether international trade agents do not make themselves more visible online simply to filter out requests like these.

Let’s put this type of request into perspective:

Now, let’s add in a few details.

Now, let’s make this question similar to the ones in my email box:

It is easy to see that you actually have a couple of options:

Coordinate with a sock manufacturer and sales agents to sell socks in the town next door.
Build yourself a sock company and find an agent for sales in the town next door.
Build yourself a sock company and go other to the town next door and learn sell your socks yourself

The problem is that some readers seem to ask for a different solution:

They want someone to find the sock manufacturer that can deliver to the town next door, do all of the administrative and logistical work, as well as market and sell the socks.

And this leads me to two conclusions:

Some people are either looking for miracles or fast food. They want a solution to get international clients for their product, or their idea buy just like they would buy a hamburger at a fast food joint… and for free or at fast food prices. They expect international business development to be just as easy to acquire.
Some people simply do not realize how much work they still need to put into their pet project before it makes enough sense to look at how to develop it abroad.

And this leads to two problems:

Your business structure and the way you operate your business dictates the options you have to sell abroad. If all you want to do is hawk your products on the street, then your only solution is to try to find an agent who knows clients in a different country.
You cannot learn how to sell your product to other countries unless you jump in and get your feet wet. You really should not start your international business development by looking for a fast food solution. If you find one it will cost you an arm and a leg.

Tomorrow I’ll share with you the very easy advice I just gave a recent reader.

Cindy King's International Business Blog » export agents