Read Aloud the Text Content

This audio was created by Woord's Text to Speech service by content creators from all around the world.

Text Content or SSML code:

The Beginner's Guide to Finding Buyers for Your Export Business If you’re thinking about getting into the export business, the biggest question you may have isn’t necessarily how do I ship my product overseas? but rather who am I going to sell my product to when it arrives? It may seem like exporting your goods should be as simple as hiring a freight forwarder and putting your product on a container ship headed somewhere around the world, but that’s only part of the equation. Know where your target markets are Before you start your export business, it’s important that you’re familiar with your target markets—the regions in which you plan on selling your product. These regions are called markets. To find out where these markets are, research each country individually using tools like Google and Wikipedia. The more informed you are about a country’s cultural norms, language barriers and preferred payment methods, products and business practices; the easier it will be to reach new buyers there. Know what your target markets want It’s important that you know who your target market is and what their wants and needs are. This helps you tailor your product or service so that it matches their preferences perfectly. Keep in mind that every target market is unique. If you go after one too broadly, you might miss out on some of those special niches within a larger target market. Figure out which products to make Step one is figuring out which products to make or sell. This is where you’ll want to take a look at what people buy and sell, how much they’re willing to spend on them, and whether there are any regional differences in demand. Do an online search for buy in replace with your location and whatever you want to buy. Make sure it doesn’t already exist before making something similar! Set up your supply chain, then start selling online To find buyers, you’ll need a supply chain set up. If you are selling online, you’re in luck: there are thousands of online marketplaces where your product can be sold. Start with Amazon, eBay and Alibaba (which is like Amazon but specifically for China) and then branch out from there! You’ll also want to start building social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram) as soon as possible. The more exposure you have, the more likely it is that someone will buy from you. And don’t forget about Craigslist and other local classifieds sites! Build relationships with local exporters and importers Most countries have a chamber of commerce, or at least a national trade association that promotes domestic and international exports. Visit their website, and if they provide it, sign up for their email newsletter. These organizations are often populated with exporters and importers; all you have to do is reach out and start building relationships with them. Do some exporting on the side Many entrepreneurs are hesitant to start selling overseas because they’re afraid it will take too much time, money and expertise. The truth is that if you have an established business, exporting can be as easy as finding new customers who want your goods or services in a different country. Exporting on a small scale allows you test out international business before committing full-time. Plan for the future The thing about having an export business is that it can take a lot of planning. You’ll need to work out where you want your business to be in 2 years, 5 years and 10 years from now. This will help you find what you’re going to need, both financially and personally, in order to grow your business successfully. If you know exactly how much money you’re going to need by when, then finding funding should be much easier. And if you know exactly how many people are going to be working with or for your business in 2 years time, then hiring staff should be much easier too. It all comes down to planning ahead. tools to find export customers You can use Google AdWords and alternative tools like SEMRush and SpyFu to find leads and target your market. These tools allow you to set a daily budget so you’ll know what it costs to find buyers. They also show which keywords are most popular with customers, as well as which search terms they use when looking for products like yours. To get started, create an account with one of these tools and start searching for keywords related to your export business. If you don’t have any specific ideas in mind, simply type in [country] + [product] + [language]. For example, if you want to sell clothes online in Germany, type Germany clothing German. This will give you a list of potential search terms that people might use when trying to buy clothes from Germany.