Government-sponsored trade missions can be a valuable tool, providing they are part of an overall marketing plan to enter that specific export market. Export markets require a great deal of support and the odds of you actually consummating any business on your first visit to a country are remote. If you are serious about that market, you must have the manpower and financial ability to support the sales cycle, which in foreign markets can be two to three times longer than in your home market.

The black hole that many companies fall into is participating in a trade mission and contracting with a manufacturers agent, dealer, or distributor to represent the company in that territory, with no prior thought of how much support will be required to make them, and hence you, successful with your product or service.

Initially it will take three to four times more effort to set up a channel in a foreign market than in a domestic market. This added effort is created by language barriers, travel, distance, time zones, letters of credit, foreign exchange availability, the added complexities of translating technical manuals and literature, power requirements, warranty issues, service, spare parts, local approvals, and import rules and restrictions. Do not allow a trade mission to direct your export sales strategy - and if you do not have an export sales strategy, do n

ot participate in trade missions.

Export marketing has a tendency to divert management attention away from domestic markets - not only in the area of sales and marketing but in day-to-day operations.

Anyone contemplating export markets needs to take a hard look at the expense and time involved and then honestly ask yourself this question: If I put that much time, effort and money into the domestic market, would I be further ahead?

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