their business model to fit the practices of potential customers and partners in the target country.”

Too often, da Gama Campos has seen executives, especially in smaller companies, underestimate what it takes to build international business. In consequence, they may not allocate proper resources, may not allow an international initiative enough time to show results, or may try to accomplish overly ambitious goals before the company is ready to execute.

Design a Practical, Incremental Strategy
da Gama Campos meets in person with interested business managers to understand their commitment and help them create an incremental, relatively low-risk approach to building their international practice. For example, if companies want to engage with the European market, he might suggest starting in one country or area that clearly offers opportunity and a good industry fit. For businesses interested in entering China, a healthy strategy may mean gaining successful experience in second-tier cities such as Nanjing, Shenyang, or Chongqing, before aiming for the large markets of Beijing, Shanghai, and other metropolitan areas.

It’s important to give the initial forays into international business time to mature and bear results. “For a company newly entering an international market, two or even three years is not an unreasonable time to invest before expecting breakthrough success,” says da Gama Campos.

Understand and Meet International Customers’ Needs
Such success won’t be possible without an offering that fits the needs of the international target market. Companies must exercise due diligence and make sure that they can successfully provide what their prospective international customers would happily pay for. da Gama Campos says, “Companies often have to make adjustments to find better acceptance in foreign markets. A product or service that is of great value to customers in the United States may not appear the same way in other markets.”

Such changes may be required for many reasons. Customers in the target market may have a completely different understanding of product categories. And, because of technical, cultural, linguistic, or other differences, optimal usability for them may not be what it is for people in the United States. “Most people understand that you need to localize software if you want to market it in foreign language environments,” says da Gama Campos. “But companies don’t always appreciate that material products or services must also evolve to fit the needs and mindsets of local customers.”

CTED program managers often find that businesses are unaware of the product changes they should implement to find enthusiastic customers. Or they may think that doing so is too costly and that their products are good enough to appeal to customers in any case. For those reasons, companies may make expensive mistakes and generate disappointing results from their international efforts. It is possible to avoid such issues by gaining the proper intelligence and designing a better fit of offerings and intended audiences.

Find a Strong Partner
Many times, finding the right partner in the target country is a critical element in an international effort. CTED helps businesses identify and initiate contacts with possible partners by conducting research and maintaining extensive contacts in local business communities. CTED also tries to steer clients away from unhelpful arrangements, such as exclusive, multiyear contracts that can lock a company into an unproductive partnership and are nigh impossible to cancel.

CTED will facilitate as much as a week’s worth of meetings with potential partner companies for its clients, with CTED field representatives present as facilitators and resources. “That kind of matchmaking is where we can add a lot of value,” says da Gama Campos. “We do a lot of it. We also offer more limited partner searches, such as locating a partner to be our client’s reseller in a certain area. In that case, we identify potential matches, make introductions, and let the companies pursue a relationship.”

Productive partners can also be service providers, such as marketing communications specialists who help companies tailor their messages to have a strong impact in the target market. Washburn Communication is one such company that da Gama Campos may recommend to clients.