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 Going International: We Be Metric
By James L. Silvester
General George Patton once said, "Boldness is the essence of strategy". Any small firm wanting to jump into the international marketing arena is taking a bold step.
So how can you tell you are ready?
Do you know how many feet are in 100 meters? Or do you know how many centimeters equal an inch?
Since 80 percent of global businesses use the metric system you better brush up on your "new" math.
There are really no set guideposts.
International competition, saturated markets here in the U.S., and expanding global consumerism are creating challenging opportunities and reasons for moving in this direction.
However, you must "look before they leap", in particular when in comes to tapping markets far from home base. Importing is less demanding in terms of due diligence, but none-the-less requires ongoing investigation.
More potential customers will demand that you quote in their currency and communicate in their home language.
To date, it has been very difficult for American businesses to accept these new realities as recent news account have reported.
Brush up on your Spanish and French. Spanish is the number two language of commerce and French is considered the global diplomatic language. Take some cultural studies.
The good news is that the Federal Government provides a bonanza of useful information and direct assistance to help domestic entrepreneurs wanting to pursue international business, in particular exporting.
The U.S. Department Commerce's through its International Trade Administration (ITA) is the granddaddy. The U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of International Trade is also a source of assistance and so is the U.S. Department of Agriculture in reference to agricultural products and services. And these agencies are now cooperating with each other to help integrate the American business community into international trade. They all have website so do the Google thing.
Some state government assistance programs match or exceed the level of assistance provided by the federal government. Call the Department of Commerce within a particular state and ask for the international trade desk.
The private sector is also awash in helpful resources. Import/Export management companies, commission sales agents, and Custom House Brokers, will act as your international sales department and absorb the burden of international trading, for a fee of course, usually 5 to 10 percent of gross sales. The ITA can help you find these firms.
Foreign and domestic state chambers of commerce are generally helpful. And many large banks have international trading departments that provide a wealth of useful information and advise, if not direct assistance.
Small firms can operate just as smoothly and profitable as larger companies nowadays.
A small 3 million dollar a year manufacture of steam boilers in Frederick County, Virginia is successfully selling its products in China.
If they can sell steam boilers in the tough Chinese market, there is truly an international market for any American product or service.
So, take the plunge but do some research and homework and don't throw caution to the wind.
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