Identifying Potential Business Partners

Once you have identified customer need and determined product compatibility, it is time to define which customers you will try to reach. There are two main options to consider when taking your product to another market:

1. Direct Marketing to the Customer: Direct marketing is when a business sells its products directly to the end user. An example of a direct marketer would be a business like Dell computers, which custom assembles and ships their product directly to the customer instead of selling products to distributors or office stores who would then sell it to another business or the customer. A company may want to research establishing a presence in the country if they plan to direct market their product.
   
   
2. A Business to Business Transaction (b2b): A b2b transaction is when a business sells its products to a distributor or stores who then sell to customers. Selling products to a distributor is the most common way smaller businesses expand internationally.

Visit www.export.gov/ to learn more about:

• Potential export opportunities
• Identifying international partners or trade leads who:
• May be interested in buying or selling your product or service
• May become partners or suppliers for your business
• U.S. companies in a similar industry who have succeeded internationally

Here you can also learn about the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Gold Key Service. The Gold Key Service can help a company to make contact with potential buyers, sales representatives, and business partners, who have all been prescreened for compatibility. The Gold Key Service will also assist with things such as market and industry seminars, market research, developing a follow-up plan after meeting potential business partners, and assistance with travel.

The Gold Key Service is a service designed to help companies find appropriate partners in less time, for less money, than if they had done it themselves. If a company is not able to set up face-to-face meetings with potential partners, this service will arrange for Video Conferences to assist with the same services described above.

This site can also assist in other areas such as, negotiations, export finance, and resolving export issues.

After identifying the customer and deciding whether to market directly or sell to distributors, a company needs to explore the more detailed elements of trade. To begin researching these elements, a business can contact their local U.S. Export Assistance Center or the Department of Commerce. To locate a U.S. Export Assistance Center, visit SBA’s Office of International Trade at www.sba.gov/oit/ or www.export.gov/. To locate information through the Department of Commerce, visit www.commerce.gov/ and search for Trade Opportunities for U.S. Businesses. Once contacts have been identified, a business can further determine what regulations, requirements and legal issues need to be addressed regarding their export.