Ever have thoughts of running a global business? If so, you are in good company. Many small business owners dream of being a major player on the international stage. But, few think they can do it. However, it might be a lot easier than you think to start selling to different countries. And, you never know where it might take you. Follow these tips, and who knows? Maybe your company will be rubbing shoulders with the biggest businesses in the world one day.
Make it a part of your plan
When you are drawing up your business plan, the earlier you include ideas for selling abroad, the better. Without it in your initial thoughts, you won’t put any time and energy to finding out about different markets, or product viability. When ideas for global expansion are in your business plan, your hand is forced to investigate. It becomes part of your schedule – and it starts the ball rolling. Who is to say where it will stop?
Check for viability
The next step is to establish the countries where you product will be viable. You should be looking at filling a gap in the market, but there also has to be a genuine need for the product. A few orders from overseas will give you some clues, and you can then spend time investigating the local markets. Where does your product fit in? Why are people ordering it from abroad? Are there any competitors? The more you know, the easier it will be to start growing your business.
Understand the rules
It’s important that you know the rules of selling abroad. You have two things to check. First of all, you will need to see the rules in place for exporting goods from Australia. Plus, you will have to find out about the trade rules in other countries. It can be a challenging landscape to navigate through – and not one to wade through today. However, there are plenty of export experts and international business lawyers who can help you tick all the right boxes.
Learn about the culture
One of the trickiest parts of going global is learning about the local culture. It is essential to do this as it can affect your marketing and branding by a significant amount. For example, let’s say that you have a logo with a female figure on it, similar to the Starbucks logo. Unbeknownst to you, it could be a startling lookalike for a local religious deity, or something similar. How is that going to look for your brand? It could be offensive to the local population, and you might pay the consequences. The smallest things can trip you up – so make sure you invest in some local knowledge before making any major decisions.
Pay a visit
You won’t succeed expanding your business to new territories if you aren’t prepared to put in the air miles. It is essential that you visit a country if you are selling to its citizens. You will need to set up meetings with distributors, sales reps, and you might even end up setting up an office. But, you won’t be able to do any of these things without being there first. Global domination takes time, and it’s all about moving from one territory to the next. The more you are there, the quicker it will happen for you. Good luck!
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