Free Excerpt from World Business
Resources.com by Garrett Wasny
CHAPTER ONE: BORDER BUSTER TOOLKIT
E-NETWORKING
Use Traditional Channels. Display your webpage and e-mail addresses on all your business cards, brochures, catalogs, ads, signage, packaging, and giveaways. You'll show the world you're ready to do business online.
Take it to the Bank. Interested in doing business with international financial institutions (IFI) such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank? Check out IFINet for tutorials and insider tips on how to access contracts at multilateral development banks.
Expat on the Back. Network with businesspeople on international assignments at Expat Exchange. The site is an online community of some 75,000 people relocating to, living in or returning from over 140 overseas locations.
Hitch a Ride. Don't have time or the money to go on a trade mission to, say, the Netherlands? No sweat. E-mail your national and state export promotion agencies, and even those of other countries. Ask who's responsible for promoting trade with the Netherlands -- or whatever international market you're targeting. Inquire if any trade missions have been organized recently to the market. If so, ask for a copy of the mission report -- a little-known government document which normally provides a list of the participating companies, contacts made, and deals done on the mission. Often, the reports are a goldmine of information, and will alert you to key players and opportunities in a particular market. You can also e-mail those companies that attended, and ask for their insights on the trip. In many cases, businesspeople love to talk about their international travel experiences, and are delighted to share what they learned on the mission. A few simple but strategically placed e-mails can glean you as much, sometimes more, market intelligence than if you had actually gone on the trip.
Thanks for the Megabytes. If you visit a government-run international trade site you find especially helpful, take 20 seconds to write a quick thank-you note. You may reap rewards. Government organizations worldwide crave positive feedback from business clients, and often deliver preferred service and inside information to those who take the time to write.
Procure For Sure. Seeking government procurement contracts? The International Procurement Jumpstation links to dozens of government procurement agencies across North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Scan these for tender information and supply opportunities.
Create Your E-Signature. Advertise you and your company with every e-mail you send. Use an electronic signature, a brief virtual business card that appears at the bottom of your e-mail messages. Visit E-Mail Signature Files for details on how to create your own at no charge.
Play Your Card. Send virtual greeting cards to clients around the world to say thanks, celebrate special holidays or anniversaries, or just stay in touch. Your simple e-gesture -- which costs nothing to send and arrives in an instant -- will be remembered and appreciated. Visit CardLady for a directory of hundreds of virtual postcard sites in multiple languages and dozens of card categories including congratulations, thank you, and good luck.
E-Invite. For your next trade show, product demonstration, or other special event, don't send invitations in the mail, send them over the Internet. Using tools such as Evite and eRSVP -- electronic invitation services -- you may send out e-invitations to anyone online.
Talk to the Coach. New to international business? The Association for International Business at offers a free export mentoring program. Applicants are matched with an experienced trade professional, and the two correspond by e-mail on specific export topics and international markets.
Hear Me Roar. The male-dominated world of global business can sometimes be an intimidating place for women, especially for those just starting out. On the Internet, support for women traders is only a mouse-click away at Businesswomen in Trade, Women in International Trade, and Women's International Shipping and Trading Association.
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