Selling direct. The least expensive and
most convenient approach is to sell directly
from your home base, as it does
not require any investment in foreign
markets and the web site is the primary
tool. It is essential that in countries
hke China and Japan—and, to a lesser
extent, Germany—web sites appear
in the local language. Given the size of
these markets, this is economically justified.
This kind of selling is more effective
for those companies selling proprietary
products with more or less fixed specifications,
such as instruments. If, on
the other hand, your company is more
focused on components and/or serving
OEM customers, then depending on a
web site will be substantially less effective
because close customer interaction
is essential in securing OEM contracts.
Using representatives or distributors.
Choosing the right representative is essential
for your success in any foreign
market. In Europe it is fairly common