There are some tracks to follow before penetrating new international markets and they are:
1. Researching and studying international markets
2. Preparing international products
3. Managing exports services
4. Exports pricing strategies
5. International distribution channels
6. International marketing and distribution
The entrepreneur must hire people to do task 1. Its managing team must deal with tasks 2 and 4. A good import/export dealer can offer good services at task 3, looking for the best opportunities for you, at the best price.
Tasks 5 and 6, however, must be managed by yourself or, if your company is more than 500 employees, for your CEO, even if a consultant can present you a good study on the distribution channels and marketing structure.
We do jobs like that for entrepreneurs but always we went with them to visit the fairs of the segments he operates with because he must have the feeling of what is going on. Studies, even with field data, can be a good first step but they are not the reality itself.
I remember a research I have made for a new product and material for an european company. I told them, in the end, that it was imperative for them to interview personally two or three persons I would indicate, to better evaluate the strategic recomendation I was pointing. They did not believe and started business anyway. Sometime later, they had to abandon the country. The lack of the correct strategy made them loose money and do not consolidate their position.
The depth interviews and other techniques I used pointed to a bad disclosure, if the right strategy was not followed. It was hard to believe as the considered market was huge. But they could not feel this as a reality as they did not meet those real people I have indicated. They were the best example of what th market was thinking. The other interviews and data I gave them would help the first right steps but would not replace the feeling.
That is why I repeat: tasks nr. 5 and 6 must be followed personally by the entrepreneur or the main decision person.
mari.beltrami@hotmail.com
30% of houses has an unemployed person in the estate of São Paulo now. The latest release from the U.S Department of Labor states that around 600 thousand employees lost their jobs in last January. It seems to be a desperate situation but there are solutions. Obama considered this information as a “devastating” one and claimed that the U.S. Senate’s delay to approve the package of $800 billion to stimulate the economy can be regarded as “irresponsible”.
Just behind United States, Brazil’s trade with China reached U.S. $ 36,443 billion, in 2008, representing an increase of 56% over the previous year’s result. In that same period, trade with Argentina was US$ 30,863 billion, with growth of 24% while thetrade with USA increased 21% to U.S. $ 53,049 billion. 
Am I boring you if remembering the Chinese popular old saying: whenever a crisis shows up, somehow an opportunity possibly will somewhere be available?
Despite bad perspectives for African economy due to the present crisis, Christian Cornille, CEO of Aerolia, a French company, signed an agreement estimated at €60 million with the Tunisian government for the construction of a plant south of the capital Tunis, to produce front segments of Airbus planes, local news agency reported.
We particularly are expecting that his policy toward the commercial relations between Brazil and his country be guided through permanent dialogue that will enable both nations to profit.
2009 will start with “Brazilian Export Strategy 2008-2010″ guidance, launched in last September and supposed to expand Brazilian competitiveness in international market . 
