Start Selling To Customers Abroad

– Contributed content –

(Hessel Visser, Pixabay)

5 Feb. 2020. Is it time that you started selling your product/service to customers in other countries? Taking the leap could help to expand your market and increase the number of customers you receive. However, doing business abroad could involve having to overcome certain obstacles. Here are just a few of the biggest challenges to consider when trading with customers in other countries.

Accepting foreign currency

There are so many currencies out there – and the values of these currencies are always fluctuating. You’ll need to be aware of currency values when charging customers abroad. Many modern ecommerce tools can automatically convert pricing and are able to accept foreign payments.

Negotiating the language barrier

While English is a universally spoken language, there may still be some customers around the world that cannot speak English. When dealing with these customers, you need to be able to negotiate the language barrier. When meeting in person or having a conversation on the phone/via video, you may need to hire an interpreter to help you in certain situations. Translate plug-ins and tools when communicating online could also be useful.

Organizing meetings

When organizing meetings with foreign clients, you need to consider where, when and how you will meet. The most affordable option is to talk via videoconferencing. However, for those times when you may feel the need to meet in person, one of you will have to travel. Factoring in the cost of flying back and forth could be important. As for when you meet up, you may have to consider differences in time zone.

Delivering goods overseas

Trading with customers abroad could mean having to deliver goods abroad. You’ll need to research the best shipping options. Couriers and shipping companies all tend to charge different rates – you can receive an instant TFL Freight Quote here if you’re eager to look up pricing. As for documents, you can often save money on these by simply sending them via email.

Understanding cultural differences

Doing business abroad could mean having to accept certain cultural differences. Timekeeping for instance can vary all around the world – if you’re planning a phone call at noon, an Asian client may expect that phone call to be made at 12 on the dot, while an Italian client may not mind if it is an hour late. When marketing in another country, you may also want to be careful of differing cultural attitudes towards sex and religion. For example, an Arabic country may not accept an advertisement if a woman is showing flesh in the image.

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