International business conjours up dreams of wealth and glory for may people in every part of the world and for good reason.
International business more often involves the B2B arena rather than B2C (business to consumer) and a business to business sales often involve huge numbers of products rather than single items sales.
Many would be international business entrepreneurs read about how a company became a multi-million dollar one overnight because of one international sale or an individual who earned huge commissions by closing a global sale for their company.
International business is all of the above and more, but what most of the 'hype-masters' do not tell you is that there is a great deal of work that requires patience, persistence and decision making.
I talk with would-be international business entrepreneurs every single day and the most common trait I encounter is their inability to make a relatively easy decision, even when the facts are clearing staring at them.
There comes a time when you either realize you are a decision maker or you realize that you should just keep going to your job every day, punching your employer's time clock and have someone who gets paid more than you, make your decisions for you.
The people I believe who have the most chance for success in this business are those who make the decision to get an import or export training course, either place the order online or call to place their order.
These sort of people are "decision makers" who are able to make a decision based on their own ability to read and understand the information that has been presented to them. This is the kind of decision making ability you need to succeed in international business.
It amuses me much of the time how people will call to get my advice which they must value or they would not call, right? Then when they are given the advice they so cherish, they never act upon it??
I actually had a lady call me recently from Canada - she wanted to get into the Import Export business but she wanted someone else to set everything up for her, get the business going and allow her to step in and take it over????????
I asked her, point blank, why would someone want to start a business, get it up and running and simply turn it over to you for a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars? She was a well educated lady, a teacher I believe, but she was living in her own little dream world.
Another amusement for me is when someone is really indecisive when on the phone or continues to ask questions in repeated emails information that is covered on our web site or in this blog. Some of these people are genuinely in bad financial situations and cannot afford (or so they state) the $160, $316 or $424 price for our international business courses.
My suggestion to them? If you have NO business experience at all, then get some by starting to sell items on EBay. By selling items on EBay, they can open their auctions up to the world bidders and they will soon be experiencing every aspect of doing international business.
They will be dealing with customer service, international shipping, language barriers, fraud, profits, accounting, literally every aspect of doing business but on a smaller scale that allows them to learn.
Most never take the advice they sought and simply continue to have dreams of international business grandeur that will somehow fall into their life without the need to make any decisions, do any work or expend any funds (almost sounds like some of our political candidate promises).
We get the "don't want to spend any money" international wanna bees from other parts of the world as well. They will send an email asking (sometimes telling, believe it or not) us to give them free importer listings.
I generally send them a reply that points them to a trade directory they can purchase, never to hear from them again. I soon will be testing a new tactic, again for my amusement - I will ask them to send me the value of what they are asking for in the form of products they are selling but in equal value to the trade directory they seek.
Think that will go over well?
It is kind of funny isn't it? These folks are seeking something they believe to have value to them and their business but not enough value to pay for it, when in reality one sale to one lead in a directory would more than pay for that directory?? What is wrong with this picture???
Is this what can be defined as a "dichotomy"?
I get phone calls all the time from people who have gotten themselves into some dire straits in import export deals. When I hear what type of situation they have created for themselves, I ask if they took any type of international business course.
They generally answer NO or well I read a book or two on the subject but that is not why I am calling you. I want you to wave your magic import export wand and help me fix what I was too cheap to learn how or why it would get them into trouble.
One guy had 5 container loads of food sitting on the dock and was paying storage fees that had already equaled the cost of the goods. He "thought" he was too smart and did not need anything more than the $29.95 book he had read about international business fortunes.
He had not gotten the approval he needed to bring food into the country from the Agriculture department. He did not apply for it until the food was landed. Guess what, the normal turnaround time for the food he was bringing in was 45 days and he thought I could wave the magic wand (like politicians promise) and get them to approve it today (or tomorrow).
Guess what, no one has that power and why would they use it for this guy if they did.
How about another guy who called and was worried because he had not heard from the supposed owner of a furniture company in Indonesia he was going to buying a container load of furniture from.
First question, again, what makes you feel qualified to import goods? did you take a course, read a book? No, I just found the company on the Internet and they had incredible prices and I knew I could make a fortune. Next question, let me guess, did you already send this guy your money.
Answer: Yes
I am getting too old to remember all of these fool tails but the two above stick in the part of my brain that I will always recall.
If you are a business owner, employee of a manufacturing company or an entrepreneur considering entry into the arena of International Business - make a decision, get step by step training in the form of one of our import or export training courses and pay for a lead service to separate yourself from 99 9/10% of the others out there and begin - take action.
The government, no matter which party wins the election, is not going to solve your personal and business problems, only you can make the "changes" you want in your life and/or in your business.
If you are reading this and do not take the advice, then why are you wasting your life's precious time reading it?? You either find value in the advice dispensed here or you do not and if you do not, unsubscribe from our B2B updates list and take this blog off of your bookmarks.
Ron Coble