Avoiding Common Mistakes in Export Marketing

 Here are some of the most common mistakes at each of the five main stages.

Export Stage	Key Issues	Common Mistakes
Initial Market Selection	•what are the relevant criteria? •how much research do we need? •where can we get good information?	•"been there once” •hasty decisions •insufficient information confusing "market" & "country"
Market Research	what do we really need to know? •who else can help me? what in-house expertise do we have?	•not going into enough detail •not understanding market dynamics not understanding what is relevant
Market Entry	•which market segments? •which partner (distributor or agent)? • which distribution channels?	•I’ll just grab the Yellow Pages” •“These guys are keen” •“We can save money by…”
Market Development	•how best to stimulate distributors? • how much money & time to spend?	•not fully supporting distributors •entering too many markets at a time infrequent in-market visits
Marketing Collateral	•what material is needed? • how best to integrate each element?	•promote features not benefits • under-estimate importance of good quality & relevant material