In E-Commerce News
Four lessons are highlighted in Offshore Lessons: The Touchstone Case Study. They are:
1. Market positioning.
2. Put American trainers on the ground.
3. Quantity always follows quality.
4. Export American business culture.
The experiences shared in this study are relevant for any U.S. firm interested in establishing a customer service operation offshore, whether in a standalone facility or through a contractor.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Liberating Your Art To The World
In NonstarvingArtists.com
With today's Internet it is much easier to market your work, including art, on a global level. There are some steps that can be taken to assist in creating awareness for your name and art. By following these steps you will not only meet folks in the same field but will be able to create the strategic alliances required to sell your work to the world.
With today's Internet it is much easier to market your work, including art, on a global level. There are some steps that can be taken to assist in creating awareness for your name and art. By following these steps you will not only meet folks in the same field but will be able to create the strategic alliances required to sell your work to the world.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Ask The Experts: How Can I Get Started Exporting?
In NY Enterprise Report
In the Report's Ask The Experts column, I share an answer to the following question but be sure to read the first two paragraphs of my answer very carefully because that part was edited out due to space constraints:
Q. I have been in the cosmetic business since 1993; we buy surplus products from various U.S. manufacturers. In the past we have sold to some locals who send these goods back “home” to their own country for resale. How can I get started exporting cosmetics to such countries as Africa and South America, and to whom else in these related fields can we offer these types of goods?
Morris Schlesinger
President, F.I.E. Merchandising Corp.
A. Buying closeouts and surplus items from American manufacturers with the understanding that you will not resell the goods within the same market has been around since the beginning of international trade. Some refer to this as parallel imports or “gray market” transactions. Although it appears you trust the “locals” you are selling to, it is in your legal best interest to document the fact that all merchandise purchased from you must be exported from the United States and never be resold within the U.S. This should be done to protect the investment you have made in working with the local manufacturing companies who so willingly put faith in you to sell their products overseas.
American products have always held a certain allure to consumers worldwide. It is not surprising that women from other parts of the world jump at a chance to buy American goods at deep discounts. Men and women alike enjoy novelty, and they love to feel that they are buying into a trendy, cutting-edge lifestyle.
To find an appropriate market niche in a specific overseas market, do your homework.
Segment Your Market
Since cosmetics can encompass many different kinds of products, segment the market to determine the best place for your products. For example, consider the type of cosmetics you are going to export. Men’s? Ladies’? Color cosmetics like lipstick, cheek color and eye shadow? Perfumes? Colognes? Under each product segment, list the categories of likely customers until you reach the end user for your product.
To read the rest of the answer, visit NY Enterprise Report March/April 2005.
In the Report's Ask The Experts column, I share an answer to the following question but be sure to read the first two paragraphs of my answer very carefully because that part was edited out due to space constraints:
Q. I have been in the cosmetic business since 1993; we buy surplus products from various U.S. manufacturers. In the past we have sold to some locals who send these goods back “home” to their own country for resale. How can I get started exporting cosmetics to such countries as Africa and South America, and to whom else in these related fields can we offer these types of goods?
Morris Schlesinger
President, F.I.E. Merchandising Corp.
A. Buying closeouts and surplus items from American manufacturers with the understanding that you will not resell the goods within the same market has been around since the beginning of international trade. Some refer to this as parallel imports or “gray market” transactions. Although it appears you trust the “locals” you are selling to, it is in your legal best interest to document the fact that all merchandise purchased from you must be exported from the United States and never be resold within the U.S. This should be done to protect the investment you have made in working with the local manufacturing companies who so willingly put faith in you to sell their products overseas.
American products have always held a certain allure to consumers worldwide. It is not surprising that women from other parts of the world jump at a chance to buy American goods at deep discounts. Men and women alike enjoy novelty, and they love to feel that they are buying into a trendy, cutting-edge lifestyle.
To find an appropriate market niche in a specific overseas market, do your homework.
Segment Your Market
Since cosmetics can encompass many different kinds of products, segment the market to determine the best place for your products. For example, consider the type of cosmetics you are going to export. Men’s? Ladies’? Color cosmetics like lipstick, cheek color and eye shadow? Perfumes? Colognes? Under each product segment, list the categories of likely customers until you reach the end user for your product.
To read the rest of the answer, visit NY Enterprise Report March/April 2005.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Across The Globe: Everyone Is Irish On Saint Patrick's Day!
Happy Saint Patrick's Day! It wouldn't be fitting if I didn't highlight the importance of this day considering I am third-generation Irish (my family's from Ballyhaunis, County Mayo -- a place where I have visited with the warmest of memories).
So for all you readers who don't think you're Irish, I'll entice you to reconsider:
Have some fun and if you laugh, then you have Irish spirit!
Learn about Ireland and feel as if you were born there!
And I will leave you with this fine Irish blessing:
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rain fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
So for all you readers who don't think you're Irish, I'll entice you to reconsider:
Have some fun and if you laugh, then you have Irish spirit!
Learn about Ireland and feel as if you were born there!
And I will leave you with this fine Irish blessing:
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rain fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Foreign-trade zone could be established in Southern Wisconsin, USA
In Wisconsin State Journal
Southern Wisconsin could see an increase in foreign business if the federal government approves the county airport's proposal to create a foreign-trade zone.
Designating "foreign-trade zone" property gives businesses special customs procedures to either defer or avoid duties on imported goods.
"The purpose is to enable small business to better compete in the global market."
To read the entire article, visit: Foreign-trade zone could be established in Dane County.
Southern Wisconsin could see an increase in foreign business if the federal government approves the county airport's proposal to create a foreign-trade zone.
Designating "foreign-trade zone" property gives businesses special customs procedures to either defer or avoid duties on imported goods.
"The purpose is to enable small business to better compete in the global market."
To read the entire article, visit: Foreign-trade zone could be established in Dane County.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
New GEM Report: Women Entrepreneurs Are Poised To Take On The World!
New Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Report On Women's Entrepreneurial Activity Released Today (3/8/05).
Forty-one percent of entrepreneurs are women, according to a cross-national study of thirty-four countries. The first Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report on women’s entrepreneurial activity was released today by The Center For Women’s Leadership at Babson College.
The GEM 2004 Report on Women and Entrepreneurship provides an in-depth global look at women’s entrepreneurship and highlights the important role that women play in developing and developed economies.
”The GEM study on women’s entrepreneurship emphasizes the critical role women have in new venture creation and provides insights to inform policies focused on increasing and extending the scope and reach of their entrepreneurial activities,” said Dr. Nan Langowitz, Director of the Center for Women’s Leadership at Babson College. “These findings support our goal of understanding, featuring and supporting the entrepreneurial efforts of women worldwide. ”
To download the powerful report, visit:
The First GEM on Women's Entrepreneurial Activities (3/8/05)
Forty-one percent of entrepreneurs are women, according to a cross-national study of thirty-four countries. The first Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report on women’s entrepreneurial activity was released today by The Center For Women’s Leadership at Babson College.
The GEM 2004 Report on Women and Entrepreneurship provides an in-depth global look at women’s entrepreneurship and highlights the important role that women play in developing and developed economies.
”The GEM study on women’s entrepreneurship emphasizes the critical role women have in new venture creation and provides insights to inform policies focused on increasing and extending the scope and reach of their entrepreneurial activities,” said Dr. Nan Langowitz, Director of the Center for Women’s Leadership at Babson College. “These findings support our goal of understanding, featuring and supporting the entrepreneurial efforts of women worldwide. ”
To download the powerful report, visit:
The First GEM on Women's Entrepreneurial Activities (3/8/05)
Friday, March 04, 2005
Abridged Borderbuster 3/4/05
If you are not a subscriber to Borderbuster, here's a glimpse of what you missed this month:
CONTENTS
1. Welcome From The Publisher
2. Feedback From Our Readers
3. Anti-Globalization Movements*
4. Business Cultural Tips: Have Some Fun!*
5. Opening Up Overseas*
6. How I Went Global: Ongoing Series // Twenty Factors …
7. A Reader Asks: Q&A*
8. Everybody Loves a Freebie -- repeat: FREE OFFER*
9. Global Trade, Zero Angst*
10. Going Global: Study Your Markets, Develop a Strategic Plan*
11. How China Will Change Your Business
12. Employees Face New Challenges*
13. Laurel’s New e-Book: “Godzilla Global Marketing!”*
14. Take A Walk On The Wild Side (TAWOTWS)*
15. Wind Behind Your Sail*
16. Miscellany*
*Indicates exclusive to Borderbuster subscribers only.
Sample section:
10. GOING GLOBAL: STUDY YOUR MARKETS, DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN
*Subscriber Exclusive*
Go global before a foreign competitor steals or marginalizes your business. Not only will you expand your market, but you will also access a diverse revenue stream that is more stable since you will no longer be as vulnerable to periodic downturns in any one economy. Global companies outperform domestics, growing twice as fast with significantly higher returns.
To read the complete article, visit here.
To subscribe to Borderbuster, visit:
Sign Up For Borderbuster!
CONTENTS
1. Welcome From The Publisher
2. Feedback From Our Readers
3. Anti-Globalization Movements*
4. Business Cultural Tips: Have Some Fun!*
5. Opening Up Overseas*
6. How I Went Global: Ongoing Series // Twenty Factors …
7. A Reader Asks: Q&A*
8. Everybody Loves a Freebie -- repeat: FREE OFFER*
9. Global Trade, Zero Angst*
10. Going Global: Study Your Markets, Develop a Strategic Plan*
11. How China Will Change Your Business
12. Employees Face New Challenges*
13. Laurel’s New e-Book: “Godzilla Global Marketing!”*
14. Take A Walk On The Wild Side (TAWOTWS)*
15. Wind Behind Your Sail*
16. Miscellany*
*Indicates exclusive to Borderbuster subscribers only.
Sample section:
10. GOING GLOBAL: STUDY YOUR MARKETS, DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN
*Subscriber Exclusive*
Go global before a foreign competitor steals or marginalizes your business. Not only will you expand your market, but you will also access a diverse revenue stream that is more stable since you will no longer be as vulnerable to periodic downturns in any one economy. Global companies outperform domestics, growing twice as fast with significantly higher returns.
To read the complete article, visit here.
To subscribe to Borderbuster, visit:
Sign Up For Borderbuster!
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