Wanted - International Sales Agents, Distributors, Representatives

There are hundreds of thousand of ads or classifieds circulating through the media with a similar wording from individuals or companies trying to find partners of all kinds for their companies or products.

Of course: The Internet is basically a perfect place for this and it is perfectly qualified to supply such connections.

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However, it is unfortunately often overlooked that also 'adventurers' of all kinds use this as a contact. Until the entrepreneur has figured out what kind of 'partner' has contacted him - especially when talking about a market or market segment for which not much experience is available or if a company is only trying to initiate sales using this way - much time may go by.

It would be even more critical if the company grants some kind of 'exclusivity' to this 'partner' due to the fact that he promises heaven and earth regarding his local connections, etc.

If in such a case the targets envisaged or even agreed are not reached or the right steps not undertaken, the respective market /market segment may be 'dead' for this enterprise for years.

During this time competitors have plenty of chances to grow within such a market which could make it very hard or even impossible for our company to enter this specific market later - besides of the profit lost already.

For this reason every company - whether small or big - should bother to enter every new market or market segment strategically.

This includes (but is not limited to !) having the following information before entering any agreement or binding obligation

- how many and which clients (size, turnover, etc.) are potentially for us as clientele available - and where are they situated in this region/country
- which needs do these clients have and inhowfar is our existing product suitable to serve them (or where/how do we have to adapt it)
- which sales channels are available, which are possibly permanently used already by the potential clients and which do we have to use therefore also
- which distributors or partners would therefor be suitable for us and are they free - means: free of any distribution rights or obligations from and versus competitors, etc.

Depending on the product to be sold there may be further questions to be answered.

After having collected and evaluated this information - however, not till then ! - we can start to develop a marketing strategy and look for the suitable sales partners. In addition this will give a better feeling for such market to the company and - as the information obtained will be discussed with him for targets, etc. - the local partner can develop more confidence in us.

In such a case the potential local partners can then also be contacted directly, giving them some information about the market potential having your products 'aboard' and the former 'fishing in the dark' becomes unnecessary.

An exception to this of course would be ads or classifieds in industrially limited portals, etc., but even here a certain caution should prevail.

Wanted - International Sales Agents, Distributors, Representatives

Michael Richter - International Marketing- and sales consultant - concentrates for more than 35 years on strategic marketing planning as well as marketing and selling of investment goods and long-lasting consumer goods in/to all 5 continents - since 1991 he works as an independent marketing consultant, especially for SMEs worldwide.

Michael Richter
Hauptstrasse 27
88422 Seekirch/Germany
Marketing = http://www.marketing-und-vertrieb-international.com/en/
Country experience = http://www.internationales-marketingkonzept.de/en/
michael.richter@marketing-und-vertrieb-international.de
Phone: +49-7582-933371, Fax: +49-7582-933372

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B2B Portals Transform International Trade to Simple Trade

Every entrepreneur's dream is to graduate from one's domestic trade level to international trade and thereby increase one's profit margins manifold. Until few years ago this remained as a distant dream, but today it has been made a reality by the opportunities created by ingenious services provided by Business to Business (B2B) web portals. B2Bs have a database of exporters and importers around the globe and any legal business entity regardless of size can register in these portals.

These portals provide two types of memberships, free membership and premium membership. Free membership is a trial version made available to the trader to understand the functions of the portal. But the premium membership gives maximum visibility and interactive facility to the trader to divine the desired result in a short span of time.

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History shows us that international traders used to just leave their places with their products or services, in search of new markets without any prior knowledge of the risks involved. Any such exploration in those days found success through sheer luck and these expeditions were not without any shortcomings either. They included risks related to expenditure, time and most importantly, lives of the people involved in the whole exercise. Those days, even after making a successful landing in a foreign territory, the traders had to encounter various issues like, language, socio-cultural differences and trading practices.

As the civilization evolved to the modernity of the present world, trading too got organized. With the deployment of modern trading practices in businesses around the globe enabled each and every trader to speak the universal language of business. Thus the trader was further able to de-risk the ill-effects of issues related to language, socio-cultural differences and trading practices. Moreover, the traders were emancipated from the fears of losing everything while foraying into new markets. Even though, the barriers for international trade vanished one by one, a seller to find a suitable buyer or vice versa beyond one's market became a gargantuan task. During this period businesses survived solely on the basis of self network and through market to market publicity programs which involved enormous expenditure.

But B2B portals revolutionized the way the world is doing business right now. They are emerging as the next growth engine of Information Technology. B2Bs are the only interactive advertising tool and low cost trading tool available in the world of business today. The leading B2B portals are with a vast database of exporters and importers across the globe. B2Bs help especially small and medium enterprises to showcase their products or/and services in the world stage economically.

Skeptics of B2B's still use their self networks to do business, by completely overlooking the expenditure, time and emotions incurred as a social obligation for the favors rendered to their self networks in the course of time. But when you become a premium member of a B2B, parties involved in the process only have to honor the business relationship. Those who suspect the authenticity of leading B2B portals either have used the services in the formative years of B2Bs' existence or have never used them at all.

The rental of a city hoarding for a month will cost more than the subscription amount currently charged by any leading B2Bs per annum. The kind of response one receives from such hoardings is subjected mainly to the place where it is displayed and various other factors. As a matter of fact, hoardings and similar advertisement strategies make one to be in one's office in anticipation of business.

On the contrary, the B2B portals' premium memberships play dual role, one is that of the interest generated for one's products or/and services through the above strategies and the other is that one can approach the traders in the related field without incurring any extra cost. Due to globalization, even domestic markets across the world, is becoming virtually an international market. To conclude, if a trader does not use the premium services of the B2Bs, it would be very difficult for one to survive in the prevailing competitive globalized market.

B2B Portals Transform International Trade to Simple Trade

Toboc, a b2b portal, provides global trade platform for Importers and Exporters from the different regions of the world. Visit us at http://www.toboc.com

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