International marketing thinking

The prospect of generating additional sales and profits from beyond your existing marketplace can be an attractive one. There are many possible reasons for extending your business internationally, including using spare capacity, spreading risk, escaping from the pressures of recession in the home market, servicing the needs of international clients, or finding customers for a highly specialised product or service.

However there may also be justifiable concerns about the additional constraints and problems that might be encountered when dealing with unfamiliar customers and competitors with different cultures, languages, currencies, business practices and so on.

Click here to see a presentation on what's different and what's the same about marketing internationally.

The chart below shows some of the factors that are likely to affect the success of international business development. Perhaps the most important point is the need for senior management to make an informed commitment to any international initiative - for most organisations, a short term, opportunistic approach is unlikely to bring a positive result.

If you have aims or ambitions to develop your business internationally, but perhaps lack knowledge or confidence about how best to approach this, Gordon Morrison can provide useful advice and help.

Marketing Thinking from GCM Marketing Ltd. provides consultancy, advice and practical help with marketing analysis, marketing research, business and marketing strategy, marketing plans, marketing communications, brands & positioning, from a base in Scotland. Copyright © 2004, 2005,2006.