|
Doing business abroad
|
 |
July 15, 1999: 2:12 p.m. ET
Know the customs of a country, and don't forget the translator
By Jane Applegate
|
NEW YORK - Doing business overseas requires patience, up-to-date information and funds. Here are some tips.
- Do your homework. Before you buy a plane ticket or book a hotel room, read everything you can about the country you plan to visit. The U.S. Commerce Department has commercial officers who are familiar with hundreds of countries. Contact one before you go anywhere.
- Use the Internet to collect facts, figures and export strategies. One site I like, exporthotline.com, has a trade directory and specific information about goods and services of interest to particular countries. You can also register information about your company for viewing by others.
- Always hire a native speaker to revise and translate your marketing materials. You don't want to make a bad impression by using poor grammar. One wrong word can totally change the meaning of what you're saying, offending your business associates and ruining your presentation.
- Meet with other entrepreneurs who have done business in the country you would like to explore. Firsthand experiences and war stories are extremely valuable.
- Find a local business partner. It's very difficult to do business overseas on your own. Most businesses rely on agents, brokers and local representatives to put deals together.
(Jane Applegate, a syndicated columnist and author of 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business, covers small business for CNNfn.com and appears regularly on CNNfn TV's Entrepreneurs Only show, where this material originally appeared. An entrepreneur herself, Applegate also maintains the site janeapplegate.com to help her fellow small-business owners.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jane Applegate.com
|
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by CNNmoney
|
|
|
|
 |
|
