International Sales Strategy

Here in France, I often meet businessmen who say they want to develop their international business.  The problem is there is always a “but”.

Now, of course, I understand

• Lack of funds
• Lack of manpower
• …and other “lacks” related to what you actually have to do your business

But what about:

• Lack of language skills
• Lack of knowledge about how things are done

…aren’t these really excuses?

Is This Whining?

When you compare this type of excuse to people who actually succeed in international sales, this appears to be more like whining.

What surprises me most, is that it is these last two excuses that I hear the most.

Is This Procrastination?

Another very common reaction I notice is the reaction that businesses need an independent research carried out before they can take any action.

Of course, this can make sense for some companies. 

But even so, will this independent research answer all the questions you expect from it?  Would you get more information from this than say, a small scale sales campaign in a specific foreign market?

There is obviously a time for both.

The question beyond this, is there procrastination involved here?

Action Gets Sales

At the end of the day, to get international sales you need to take action.

First…

• Your business needs direct contact with your foreign markets to get to know them

Are you getting all the feedback you can from your current international prospect and client touches?  What are you doing to increase your international market intelligence?

Then…

• You need to ask your international prospects for the sale
• You need to follow up with your international prospects

What do you have in place now? How can you improve this?  How can you make a better connection with your international clients?

As you can see:

• These are very basic questions.  You can easily ask them.
• To find the answers, you need to take action.  No one else can do this for you.

Do you want international sales?  Don’t waste more of your time and energy whining and procrastinating instead of taking action.  Jump in and take small steps.  Follow a simple process like the International Sales Road Map on Get International Clients.

More on International Sales Strategy:

• How People Cope With The Risk Of International Business
• International Sales In A Fast Food World
• Market Research Takes Your International Ideas Further
• When Businesses Waste Time To Get International Sales
• When Not To Look For International Sales
• Where Are the International Sales

Get International Clients – Business Guides On Sales

• Cross-Culture Sales
• Cross-Cultural Negotiation

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

When Businesses Waste Time To Get International Sales