Have  you exhausted your supply of local leads and want to expand your market by looking for international trade leads?  Then you’ll need to start making sure your products are in a state where they can be bought by importers from many different countries.   You’ll find that rules and regulations vary from country to country, your marketing literature will have to change and what about things like packaging and finance?

We’ve got a new article in the guide on this very topic that will get you asking: are my products ready for export?

We recently spoke about finding distributors for businesses that are trying to export their products into new markets but there’s another side to distributors.  They also need to liaise with the businesses that will be selling the products to the end users.  If you run one such business and need reliable wholesale distributors of foreign goods what do you need to look out for?  Have a read of this article: Wholesale Distributors – Qualities of a Good Product Distributor, it will give you a few useful pointers.

You’ll all be pleased to know that we’ve finally got round to creating a feed for the international trade articles on the guide section.

There are already a whole host of interesting and useful articles including:

• Trade Barriers
• Marketing to an International Audience
• Incoterms
• The Importance of Language

And many others, to which we will be adding in the near future.  BTW if there’s any area you’d like covered just let us know.

Oh before we forget here’s the link to the RSS feed (http://www.import-export-guide.com/international-trade-articles.xml) – add the URL to your reader and you’ll be able to see whenever we get a new article.

We have thousands of Chinese Wholesale Suppliers and Manufacturers on Import-Export-Guide.com.  They produce everything from small cheap plastic toys to ultra-complex machinery and equipment.

Despite their overpowering presence on many b2b marketplaces and despite what many people might think, China isn’t actually the number 1 manufacturing country – at least not yet.  Give them until about 2020, then they’ll be in the top spot.

Read all about the forces behind the growth in China’s manufacturing base and the global effects of this growth in our article  The Rise and Rise of Chinese Manufacturing.

Are you involved in the import/export trade?  Your focus might be on buying high quality, competitvely priced wholesale products but what if you’re an exporter or manufacturer looking to sell your goods in another country? How do you begin to find customers in far-away places you’re never likely to visit?

One obvious way is to use distributors. People who know how business works in these countries and already have contacts in place ready to buy your goods. They become, in effect, your sales force. Of course your profit per sale will be less but distributors take away the aggravation of finding direct customers.

Marketing Yourself

You can find distributors through a variety of methods, including in person, online, and through telephone or email communications.

Industry trade shows draw distributors, sometimes from other countries. By talking to them, you might hear about their competition abroad. You can also talk to fellow manufacturers or exporters of goods similar or complementary to yours. Particularly if their goods complement yours, both of your businesses might benefit from an arrangement where distributors sell your goods together.

B2B Portals

Online B2B portals offer a great way to meet many potential distributors at once, while saving time. You can list yourself in a well-known portal and attract interest in your products, or search for distributors who have listed themselves as looking for goods in your industry.

When you create your profile or post on a B2B portal, keep professionalism in mind. Fill out your company profile as completely as possible, to inspire confidence in possible distributors. They will be more likely to contact a business that has clearly stated the industry it operates in, a paragraph or two about its history, its customer base, and exciting new projects or products. Aim to generate interest in your company through your B2B profile.

International B2B trade has become increasingly easy in recent years. Take these basic steps to generate interest in your goods, and your business can benefit from finding international distributors!

Partner Leads

If you want to find distributors on Import-Export-Guide.com (or offer your services as a distributor) then the section you should be posting on is the Partner Leads section.

Here are a few current leads:
Sports Clothing Distributors Required (Member based in Pakistan)
Herbal Hair Oil Distributors Required (Member based in India)
Distributors for Diesel Forklift Trucks Needed (Member based in Belgium)

Read a full version of this article on the Guide Section: Find Distributors for your Goods Abroad