basic-guide-to-exporting_Latest_eg_main_086196

Building a Working RelationshipOnce you have established a relationship with an overseas customer, representative,or distributor, it is important to work on building and maintaining that relationship.Common courtesy should dictate business activity.By following the points outlined in this chapter,your company can present itself well. Beyond thesepoints, you should keep in mind that a foreigncontact should be treated and served with the sameprofessional considerations extended to a domesticcontact. For example, your company should keepcustomers and contacts notified of all changes,including changes in price, personnel, address, andphone numbers.Because of distance, a contact can “age” quickly and cease to be useful unlesscommunication is maintained. If your company cannot afford frequent travel,consider using e-mail, videoconferencing, faxes, and phone calls to keep the workingrelationship active and up to date.Providing After-Sales ServiceYour product may be thebest and the cheapest—butif international customersdon’t like talking to you,you’ll lose business.Quality, price, and service are three factors critical to the success of any export saleseffort. Quality and price are addressed in earlier chapters. Service, which we discusshere, should be an integral part of any company’s export strategy from the start.Properly handled, service can be a foundation for growth. Ignored or left to chance, itcan cause an export effort to fail.Service is the prompt delivery of the product. It is courteous sales personnel. It isa user or service manual modified to meet a customer’s needs. It is ready accessto a service facility. It is knowledgeable, cost-effective maintenance, repair, orreplacement. Service is location. Service is dealer support. Service is an open line ofcommunication between you—the decision maker—and your customer. This includeslistening attentively and actively probing for clues on how to make your service orproduct even better.Service varies by the product type, the qualityof the product, the price of the product, and thedistribution channel used. For certain exportproducts—such as food products, some consumergoods, and commercial disposables—service endsonce distribution channels, quality criteria, andreturn policies have been identified.Learn about your localcompetitors. Find out whatpeople like—and don’t like—about working with them.Strive to provide an evenbetter experience.However, the characteristics of consumer durablesand some consumables demand that servicebe available after the purchase has been completed. For such products, service is afeature the consumer expects. In fact, foreign buyers of industrial goods typically196U.S. Commercial Service • A Basic Guide to Exporting