Are you still wondering what product to sell abroad?  Does it seem like a critical choice to make?

Businesses just starting to develop international markets often spend considerable time wondering what they should sell abroad.

There is more than one way to get stuck while choosing which product to sell.

I regularly meet business owners who do not think they have an international business potential.  Simply because they cannot see which of their products they could sell abroad.

And yet after a few minutes discussion I can identify an expertise others in different countries would like to have access to.  After that, it is just a question of packaging that expertise in a way a foreign market wants to receive it.

Don’t get stuck in choosing the perfect product the first time you sell abroad.

An excessive focus on trying to find the right product to sell in a foreign country is often a waste of time.  Well, this is often the case if you do not have any specific, first hand, foreign market knowledge.

Rather than focusing too much on how to choose the right product to sell first, there is a better strategy.

Trends In Change

First there are two important observations to make:

1. International business development almost always implies adapting some part of your business process.  It can also involve changes in several areas: product, packaging, delivery, sales pitch.
2. International product development for products sold on the web, no longer follow traditional product development processes.  The process is more fast paced and usually involves several business functions all at once: marketing, manufacturing, finance, engineering, distribution.

Ready For Change

There is one important thread to notice here:

• You must be prepared for change.

Changing and adapting to new markets is the key element for your success, especially in the beginning or your international business development.  This is where you should spend a little time.

Businesses just starting out into new foreign markets should not spend too long agonizing about what to sell.

At this stage, the question of what to sell is often not as critical as how you are going to learn how to sell to different cultures.

The real challenge is to:

• Be ready for change
• Be flexible
• Learn how to see differences in market needs
• Learn how to understand your foreign market
• Adapt your business processes where necessary

Your Foreign Customer Gives You The Key

The reason why you need to be ready for change is because your foreign customer is different from the customers you are used to in your home country.

Your products need to appeal to your foreign customers.

Different cultures have different buying triggers.  There are also several other different factors that come into play: language, cultural environment, habits, religion.

How can you know what appeals to your foreign customers before you get to know them?

This is why you will probably need to learn how to adapt some aspects of your products or how you do business.

If you become successful, the first product you sell abroad will not be your last one.

To become successful at international business you need to learn how to adapt to doing business in different cultures.  Concentrate on this.

Spend some time getting your team ready to participate quickly if and when needed.  Your first steps into international markets requires action, and reaction.

Final Thoughts On Choosing Your First Product

And, how should you decide which product to sell abroad first?

I hope this article has taken the edge off of your actual choice in product.

Of course, you should give some consideration into what product to sell abroad first.  There may be a few obvious misfits you should avoid.

But you develop your international talents by adapting what needs to be adapted to different cultures.

Read the whole story

This is part of the Get International Clients Business Guide 1 Discover Your International Business Be sure to check out the other useful tips to discover your international business.

Then you will be happy to read about the up-coming changes at Get International Clients.

Starting September the Get International Clients Newsletter will become the ideal companion to follow the International Sales Road Map.

But don’t worry, the Get International Clients Newsletter will still be FREE.

The weekly newsletter will only change its format slightly.

You see, I am tired of hearing the excuses from the brick and mortar companies. I am tired of seeing small internet business owners with great international potential making the same mistake:

NOT taking the right action to develop international business is the biggest barrier to international business success.

Developing an international business takes work.

The key to success is to take small steps consistently. You do not need to spend months and months wondering what to do, and trying to figure out what budgets you need.

In any case, you will not be able to answer these questions accurately prior to jumping into action.

So don’t waste your time. Take action today. Even small actions. And continue taking action regularly.

Sequential Newsletter Gives You Easy Steps To Follow Every Week

If you are already a subscriber, you will know that the current format of the weekly newsletter already gives you useful tips and action steps. What will be different? Up until now, the newsletter is issued every Sunday evening my time and everyone gets the same newsletter every week. The new format will be sequential. Your newsletter will still be published every Sunday evening. But the newsletter you get will depend on when you signed up. So if you subscribe in September or in December or sometime next year, your first newsletter will be the same. The new format gives you easy action steps in the sequence you need to develop your international business.

• Each week you will go through a different step.
• So you will complete the 8 steps in 8 weeks.
• And then starting with the IMPROVE phase, the process starts again.
• The next 8 action steps will take your further along the path of developing your international markets.
• And this process will repeat itself every 8 weeks.

Get the action steps you need to open up your business to foreign markets.

Get the motivation you need to take action right now and create the international business development process best suited for your business.

The International Sales Road Map is for all business owners and marketing professionals who are not doing anything specific to develop their international business. This includes companies without any international clients at all, and companies with accidental international sales. Brick and mortar companies and online businesses.

This means you have to start right from the beginning in the first 8 weeks.

And then during each 8 week cycle we will review the International Sales Road Map process, adding on additional action steps, so you can improve your strategy.

Every week you will receive an action step and a homework assignment for you to take that week.

To get the most out of the Get International Clients Newsletter you must commit to taking consistent action.

Additional Current News During The Week

In addition to the Get International Clients Newsletter I will send you each Sunday evening, I will also send you an email or two during the week if I have been working on something that I want to share with you.

For example, when I notice any trend in the questions coming in, I will share my answers with everyone.

This way you get more current information.

But I have to warn you, some weeks the work I get paid for will be keeping me too busy for these extra current news bits. So I am only going to send them to you when I can.

In-Depth Special Reports Answer Your Questions In Detail

This is also where the free monthly reports come in handy. You can read them when you have time.

You can stay focused on taking the small actions you need to take each week, and keep your momentum feeding your international business development.

The special reports are there when you have more detailed questions.

All newsletter subscribers will get one monthly report free with their subscription.

The free monthly reports start in September too, and they will go further in depth into one of the actions covered that month.

By the way, these same reports, free for the Get International Clients weekly newsletter subscribers, will be available for non-subscribers, but at a price of $29.99.

I could say there are two reasons why you should sign up now for the Weekly Newsletter.

• It is true, when you see the value of these free reports when they are published in September, you will want to sign up immediately.

But, the real reason why you should sign up for the International Sales Road Map Weekly Newsletter is very simply to start taking action today.

Let me guide you through the steps you need to take to develop your international business.

The sooner you start to develop the skills you need to communicate effectively with your foreign markets, the sooner you will get international clients.

Don’t wait and let others get the competitive edge you could have today. Sign up below.

There are fives scales to measure different cultural behaviors. There are many tools that you can use to appeal to the different cultural behavioral traits of different cultures. This article will cover the independence factors revolving around certain cultures high individualism culture behavioral traits.

Independence

Let’s look at a web tool for cultures with high individualism culture behavioral traits:

• Themes of independence

Cultures with high individualism traits, such as all of the major English speaking cultures, generally respond well to themes on independence. Let’s review the cultural behavior traits of high individualism behavior :

Traits Of Cultures With High Individualism

Some cultures are described as being high on the scale of individualism. These cultures have strong beliefs in:

• Personal goals

This is opposed to the other end of this scale, cultures high on the scale of collectivism, which have strong beliefs in:

• Group goals

Here’s one thing you can do to communicate better with your clients in these cultures:

Highlight Use Of Independence

In these cultures you can empathize themes on independence with images and reference to:

• Self-reliance
• Achievement
• Self-recognition

Major English speaking cultures will respond well to these web tools. Remember, it is all about finding the right emphasis on how you use these web tools.

Each week this month there will be lots more on the different cultural behaviors in the Get International Clients Weekly Newsletter. Sign up quickly so you don’t miss anything.

Basic Guidelines For Using This Web Tool

Important Notice
If you have not read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools as mentioned in the very beginning of this article. Please do so before implementing any of these web tools.

Use these cross cultural web tools to inspire you to improve your web communication with your international clients.

Are you committed to speeding up your international sales cycles? Learn how to combine cross-cultural marketing tools and international sales strategies for faster sales. Get free information in your inbox on international web marketing. Sign up at Get International Clients Weekly Newsletter now and you also get a FREE SPECIAL REPORT each month ONLY available to newsletter subscribers. Cindy King is a Cross-Cultural eMarketer & International Sales Specialist, aligning businesses with different cultures. She has over 25 years field experience in international business development. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cindy_King