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Does having a website mean you are ready to go global? Are you
really positioned to sell your services and products on a global market? Are
you ready, or not?
The Internet has opened access to the global markets, and every
website that exists is available to a global audience, with the exception of a
few closed countries. So, does that mean you are global?
There is more to accessing the global markets than having a presence
on the Internet, even though it is the world-wide-web.
There are a few components that should be factored into your
operations and marketing plans if you are looking to expand into the global
markets. There may not be any borders on the Internet, but there are processes
that you need to factor in to your business plan for the retailer, and for the
professional service providers.
For retailers who target a specific country or countries:
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1.
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Mirror
your website in several languages to address country specific issues.
Consider creating special access (ex. Intranet) for existing customers so
that you can tailor your message and services.
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2.
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Look
at creating domain and sub-domain name(s) that uses the country specific URL
extension (ex. Brazil -
"br," China - "cn," Canada
- "ca"). This will help the website be picked up by country specific search
engines.
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If
there is significant volume for a specific country you may consider
establishing support resources stationed within the country. Regardless if
you connected via the Internet, providing additional country resident support
may be a differentiating factor between your product and a competitor's.
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If
you cannot support a resource within a country, make sure you have adequate
Internet communications with customers (i.e. feature rich question and answer
section on your website, chat sessions (if you can handle the language), or
24-hour or less email turn-around).
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Make
sure you factor in all of the hidden costs associated with shipping products
on an international basis, and set up a supply chain to handle the shipments
and returns.
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Learn
about country habits with respect to how they pay for products; Which credit
cards are best for certain countries?, Do people use credit cards for online
transactions?, Do they use kiosks, or wire transfers, and are there other
means of restitution to investigate? Become familiar with how much
information that you can solicit under a country's privacy regulations, and
how much information people are willing to provide.
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7.
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Target
key search engines per country and submit your website to them.
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For service provides who have worked the global markets, they
understand that English is a lingua franca for professionals and the affluent
segment in industrialized countries.
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1.
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Investigate building global partnerships to
expand your marketing message through other channels (OPM - Other People's
Marketing). Look for providers of complementary services and offerings to see
if you can exchange access to customers (shared email campaigns or a joint
website) as a way to expand access for both companies.
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2.
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Make sure that your website message is clear
and concise to avoid confusion by prospective clients where English is not
their native language.
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3.
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Use the Internet as a vehicle to provide
24-hours-a-day by 365-days-a-year support. You can create dynamic Q&A
sections on your website, respond to email questions within a 24-hour period,
or create dynamic support centers to answer questions immediately.
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4.
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Learn about country habits with respect to how
they pay for services, which credit cards are best for certain countries and make
sure you do your local currency to their currency conversion, and include any
extra fees associated with wire transfers, and other means of restitution.
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Regardless if you are in retail or providing services, never take a
country and the people for granted. Learn about their customs, understand how
they work with the Internet, is it best if you gradually work your way into a relationship
before starting to talk about services; every country has its own distinct
personality. Make sure that you understand privacy regulations with regards to
information that you obtain, email blasts that you wish to send out, and
general communications.
Just because you have a website you are not global; it takes the
same planning, if not more, that you put into starting up your existing company
to move beyond your comfort zone of your own country and language. There are
significant benefits to expand your business into a global entity, but make
sure that you have the resources, time, money, and focus to make it work. You
may have been able to survive on-the-fly with regards to building and changing
a website, engaging social networks, and working to create a progressive
Internet presence, but with regards to going global, the tolerance level by the
consumer is much smaller.
I thank you for your continued support of Luxury Experience, and as
always, your comments are welcome, so please send comments to
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.
© February 2011. Luxury
Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All
rights reserved.
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