If you're not ready to take the plunge into exporting your
own products, Dennis Hessler has an alternative: Become an
import/export intermediary.
The task of an intermediary, according to Hessler, is to help
small and midsized businesses hook up with buyers and cope with
issues like currency transfers and translations.
Hessler recommends finding a supplier first, then looking for a
buyer. "If you already have a supplier, you'll have the
information [a buyer needs]," says Hessler. "You can
quote prices and know you can deliver ‘x' container loads
of widgets at ‘x' price. You may be able to direct the
buyer to the supplier's Web site to find out more about the
product. You can even e-mail pictures of the products incredibly
quickly and cheaply."
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The key to success is discovering your "edge," which
might be your knowledge of the market, the product or the target
country. "If you're a shoe salesperson, use your contacts
in the shoe industry to make your first sale," says Hessler.
"If you have contacts in India, use them to find out what
types of products sell in India, then find suppliers of those
products in the U.S. Your edge gives you credibility, a clear
connection the supplier can understand."
Hessler points out the importance of building relationships with
suppliers and buyers. "Don't look at a trade as a one-time
deal. Avoid ‘fax-jockeying'-just faxing paper back and
forth with no real dealings with the individual. It's better to
build relationships with both sides, so everyone knows you-so you
can count on them and they can count on you. Then your contacts can
help you expand markets and product lines so you don't have to
start over every time you put a new deal together.
"You don't have to sell 747s to make a lot of money as
an intermediary," says Hessler, who notes that it usually
takes about six months for that all-important first deal to come
together. "Don't go crazy looking at the hundreds of
buy/sell offers on the Internet and think you're going to get
rich quick; build it up slowly. Patience is the
challenge."
Resources
Moira Allen is the "Global" columnist for
Entrepreneur magazine and editor of Global Writers'
Ink, a newsletter for international writers. Her Web site for
writers can be found at www.writing-world.com.
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