In the offline world, international marketing goes through a distinct sequence.

5 Stages Of International Marketing

This sequence happens because different countries do business differently. Different countries have:

• Different habits
• Different legislations
• Different markets
• Different uses for your products
• Different client profiles

The 5 different stages of international marketing allow businesses to adapt to these differences. The 5 different stages are:

1. Domestic Marketing
2. Export Marketing
3. International Marketing
4. Multinational Marketing
5. Global Marketing

Read more about these different stages in: 5 Traditional Marketing Steps To Become An International Business

International Web Marketing

Most international web marketers jump straight into the deep end: Global marketing.

There is one similarity between Domestic Marketing and Global Marketing:

• You sell one product throughout one territory.

But there is a huge divide. These e-businesses do not take the time to learn about their “global” market.

There is no process for:

• Adaptation from a domestic market to a global market
• Cultural transformation of your product
• Cultural adaptation of your sales pitch

Most people come back and say things like:

• Internet is a global marketplace
• Nike and McDonalds do it

My response?

Look back to the 5 different marketing stages while answering these questions:

• Which products are in this global marketplace?
• Do you have the same international presence, budget and market knowledge as the big multinationals?

Is International Marketing On The Web Different?

No it isn’t, not really.

First of all the buyers are the same. They still have:

• Different preferences
• Different selling points
• Different ways they will want to use your product
• Different competition

Second, your buyers may have acquired new online buying habits. These common habits may appear to make international buyers more accessible to your business. Nevertheless, your international buyers still come with their cultural differences.

And finally, web marketing refers to marketing on a type of communication platform. International marketing always includes different communication platforms.

This is probably the wrong question to ask.

The Advantages Of International Web Marketing

So what is a more appropriate question? How about:

• Does web marketing help your international marketing?

Of course it does. Web marketing helps your international business development in many ways. The obvious one is accessible global reach at low cost.

What is even more interesting, is to go back and look at the 5 stages of international marketing again. The real advantage to web marketing is it speeds up international business development.  Web marketing can cut down the time it takes to acquire market knowledge through web metrics and statistics.

The web metrics available today can help you speed up your process of acquiring specific cultural and country knowledge about your product.

Every e-business should start tracking its own international statistics and use web metrics to improve its international marketing.

It is a good idea to keep all or part of these tasks in-house. Remember, the process of adaptation needed to move from one marketing stage to the next? Your company needs to adapt to international markets.

Do not forget, there is one big obstacle to interpreting international web metrics correctly:

• The interpreter himself

International business requires strong cross-cultural communication skills. These are human skills. They take time to acquire. Both individually and as a company.  Cross-cultural communication skills are even more important for a web-based business where internet is a communication platform.

Cross-cultural communication is a two way process. Companies need time to learn effective cultural communication skills in order to make more international sales.

The process for successful international web marketing is still the same as for offline businesses.

You have the additional advantage of web metrics to speed up your international web marketing strategy. This helps you to evaluate your results as you try to adapt your international communication. It helps you acquire international market knowledge faster.

• Take your online business methodically through the 5 stages of international marketing.
• Integrate good statistics marketing.

And your international business development will be faster and more successful.


Do you want better results on your cross cultural sales?
Ask me for a cross cultural critique of your website. Email me here.


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This is part of a long series: Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools. You will find the link to the guide with the other articles at the end of this article. Be sure to check back for more.

Important: Read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools before implementing any of these web tools.

There are fives scales to measure different cultural behaviors. There is more than one tool you can use to appeal to each of the different cultural behavioral traits.

We have covered 3 web tools for cross cultural communication to cultures with high individualism behavioral traits:

• Personalization
• Themes of independence
• Privacy Policy

Unique Selling Points

Let’s look at a fourth web tool for cultures with high individualism culture behavioral traits:

• Unique selling points for your product

Cultures with high individualism traits, such as all of the major English speaking cultures, like to know they are buying a unique product.

Let’s review the cultural behavior of high individualism behavior traits:

Traits Of Cultures With High Individualism

Some cultures are described as being high on the scale of individualism. These cultures have strong beliefs in:

• Personal goals

This is opposed to the other end of this scale, cultures high on the scale of collectivism, which have strong beliefs in:

• Group goals

Here’s one thing you can do to communicate better with your clients in these cultures:

Highlight Use Of Your Product Uniqueness

In these cultures you need to clearly indicate the uniqueness of the product you are selling. You need to state:

• Your product’s unique features
• Your product’s unique selling points

This web tool should be emphasized correctly.  Identify all of the 5 cultural behaviors for the cultural market you are targeting.  Find the web tools to help you communicate best with those 5 cultural traits.  Next you need to adjust the emphasis with which you use each of these tools for best results.

Each week this month there will be lots more on the different cultural behaviors in the Get International Clients Weekly Newsletter. Sign up quickly so you don’t miss anything.

Basic Guidelines For Using This Web Tool

Important Notice

If you have not read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools as mentioned in the very beginning of this article. Please do so before implementing any of these web tools.

Use these cross cultural web tools to inspire you to improve your web communication with your international clients.

Don’t forget to come back and check the guide for other web tools - I will be going through a long list of them over the next couple of months:

• Web Tools For Cultural Communication

Do you want better results on your cross cultural sales?
Ask me for a cross cultural critique of your website. Email me here.


Enjoyed reading this?

Get a free special report that gives you the 8 Steps To Develop Your International Business easily from where your are now.

This valuable report is yours when you sign up for the Get International Clients Newsletter giving you easy to implement tips and case studies for free each week, to help you develop your international business today.

Get More International Clients Now

This article is part of International Lead Generation 101. Check this guide regularly for new material.

With international lead generation, it is vital to start with the right definition and to qualify all of your leads.

• Start with a clear definition for what a lead is to your company.
• Qualify this definition as precisely as you can.
• Document, track and improve your process.

An accurate definition of your ideal lead gives you a key tool for optimum efficiency within your own business.

Define Your Lead And Expect To Revise It

It is also necessary to have an accurate definition of your ideal international lead because your definition is very likely to change as you get to know your international markets better.

If you are just beginning to target your international markets, you probably do not have an accurate picture of your ideal lead. You understand your side of what you want. But you probably do not fully understand what you can do for your international leads.

Your lead qualifying process is also a key step in your international market research. This qualifying process will give you more information about your international leads. Document this information, test and track results and you will see how to redefine your definition of your ideal lead.

First Define Your International Lead

First, how do you define your international lead? You need to get both your sales teams and your marketing teams together and come up with a very precise outline of your company’s ideal client.

Try to identify the business problem your international lead has that your products helps resolve.

Do you know your international markets well enough to define your international lead? Probably not. This is not always easy if you are just starting to develop your international business.

The definition of your ideal international lead:

• Will probably be different to the definition for your domestic lead.
• Will change as you learn more about your international markets.

Then Keep Revising It Until It Is Right

This complicates things for you. You will need to revise your definition of your ideal lead throughout your initial phase of international business development.

You need a real lead generation system more than ever. You need a process and procedures where you can quality, measure and track. You need all the feedback you can get from your international leads.

A good lead generation system has three steps:

1. Lead Generation System For Inquiries
2. Lead Qualification System
3. Lead Nurturing

You need your definition of your ideal lead to set up your system to get international inquiries. During your lead qualification and lead nurturing processes you will need to:

• Constantly monitor all of your international feedback
• Regularly review your definition of your ideal international lead

Without a good process in place, your international business development will not take you very far.
Read more on International Lead Generation here:

• International Lead Generation 101

Do you want better results on your cross cultural sales?
Ask me for a cross cultural critique of your website. Email me here.


Enjoyed reading this?

Get a free special report that gives you the 8 Steps To Develop Your International Business easily from where your are now.

This valuable report is yours when you sign up for the Get International Clients Newsletter giving you easy to implement tips and case studies for free each week, to help you develop your international business today.

Get More International Clients Now

This is part of a long series: Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools. You will find the link to the guide with the other articles at the end of this article. Be sure to check back for more.

Important: Read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools before implementing any of these web tools.

There are fives scales to measure different cultural behaviors. There is more than one tool you can use to appeal to each of the different cultural behavioral traits.

We have already reviewed three web tools for cross cultural communication to cultures with high context behavioral traits:

• Soft Selling
• An Indirect Approach
• Harmony In Website Aesthetics

Now let’s have a look at the web tools to use in cross cultural communication for cultures with low context behavioral traits

Hard Selling

This week we will look at the first web tool for cultures with low context culture behavioral traits:

• Hard Sell Approach

Some cultures have a low context communication style. These cultures prefer straight forward communication.

These cultures respond better to a hard sale.

Let’s review the cultural behavior of low context behavior traits:

Traits Of Cultures With Low Context Communication

Some cultures are described as being low on the scale of context communication. These cultures communicate in a style where communication is:

• Direct
• Straightforward
• Detailed
• Without ambiguity

Here’s one thing you can do to communicate better with your clients in these cultures:

Highlight Use Of A Hard Sell Approach

In these cultures you will want to pay attention to:

• Aggressive sales
• Discounts
• Coupons
• Comparative sales

This is something most of the major English speaking cultures understand well.

Each week this month there will be lots more on the different cultural behaviors in the Get International Clients Weekly Newsletter. Sign up quickly so you don’t miss anything.

Basic Guidelines For Using This Web Tool

Important Notice

If you have not read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools as mentioned in the very beginning of this article. Please do so before implementing any of these web tools.

Use these cross cultural web tools to inspire you to improve your web communication with your international clients.

Don’t forget to come back and check the guide for other web tools - I will be going through a long list of them over the next couple of months:

• Web Tools For Cultural Communication

Do you want better results on your cross cultural sales?
Ask me for a cross cultural critique of your website. Email me here.


Enjoyed reading this?

Get a free special report that gives you the 8 Steps To Develop Your International Business easily from where your are now.

This valuable report is yours when you sign up for the Get International Clients Newsletter giving you easy to implement tips and case studies for free each week, to help you develop your international business today.

Get More International Clients Now

This is part of a long series: Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools. You will find the link to the guide with the other articles at the end of this article. Be sure to check back for more.

Important: Read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools before implementing any of these web tools.

There are fives scales to measure different cultural behaviors. There is more than one tool you can use to appeal to each of the different cultural behavioral traits.

Last week we reviewed the third web tool for cross cultural communication to cultures with a high score on the Power Distance behavior scale:

• Company Hierarchy
• Company Executive Photos And Videos
• Company Vision Statements

Let’s look at the fourth web tool in this category:

Company Awards

Another web tool for cultures with a high Power Distance culture behavioral trait is:

• Company Awards

Most English speaking cultures do not have a high power distance score.  So it is a good idea to separate all the different ways to communicate on the subject of your company.

Cultures with a high power distance behavior trait respond well to company awards.

Let’s review the cultural behavior of high power distance behavior traits:

Traits Of Cultures High In Power Distance

Some cultures are described as being high on the power distance scale. These cultures have a strong belief in:

• Authority
• Hierarchy

Here’s one thing you can do to communicate better with your clients in these cultures:

Highlight Information On Company Awards

In these high power distance cultures you will want to find the right way to:

• mention any company awards
• reference any industry recognitions
• use quality assurance awards
• inform quality certification
• highlight all international and local office awards and certifications

Pay close attention to the details, what they convey in other countries, and where you place them on your website.  This is not always as simple as it seems. It is a very good idea to get an expert to review your website for this one specific cultural trait.

Each week this month there will be lots more on the different cultural behaviors in the Get International Clients Weekly Newsletter. Sign up quickly so you don’t miss anything.

Basic Guidelines For Using This Web Tool

Important Notice

If you have not read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools as mentioned in the very beginning of this article. Please do so before implementing any of these web tools.

Use these cross cultural web tools to inspire you to improve your web communication with your international clients.

Don’t forget to come back and check the guide for other web tools - I will be going through a long list of them over the next couple of months:

• Web Tools For Cultural Communication

Do you want better results on your cross cultural sales?
Ask me for a cross cultural critique of your website. Email me here.

Enjoyed reading this?

Get a free special report that gives you the 8 Steps To Develop Your International Business easily from where your are now.

This valuable report is yours when you sign up for the Get International Clients Newsletter giving you easy to implement tips and case studies for free each week, to help you develop your international business today.

Get More International Clients Now

You cannot control many things in your international markets. The initial phases of international business expansion are often full of surprises. Careful planning does not always prepare you for everything. Cultural differences come up all of the time.

The Advantage Of Measurement

This is why conducting your initial phases into foreign markets through an online approach has distinct advantages. Internet marketing gives you control over several areas. Or at least it gives you the means to adjust quickly to your market. You can measure your marketing and sales efforts easily.

You can do many things to control your international lead generation process online. Here is an outline:

• You can use internet marketing to get more inquiries.
• You can easily document your online touches.
• From there you can measure your results.
• Knowing where to adjust your communication becomes easy to do through practice.

International market feedback is easier than ever before to set up and stimulate online. As you get to know your foreign markets better, you refine your process to work better for you.

Use your website to create on online international lead generation system. But first, you need to set up a process you can document, measure and refine as you go along.

Your First Step

Before you set up a structure to work with, you need to spend some time defining important elements of your international marketing pipeline.. You need to:

• Define what a lead is to your company
• Define what qualifies your leads
• Identify how best you can nurture all of your international qualified leads and work on improving this over time.

This may seem simple and you might even think you have the right answers. But it is worth the time to review these definitions again. And make sure all of your team agrees with you.

Difficulties and fuzziness appear when there are different definitions or a lack of definition within your own company. You need to define a common language. You also need to define what it is you want.

This is important to do before creating your international marketing pipeline.  That is what I will be covering later in this series.

Do you want better results on your cross cultural sales?
Ask me for a cross cultural critique of your website. Email me here.

Enjoyed reading this?

Get a free special report that gives you the 8 Steps To Develop Your International Business easily from where your are now.

This valuable report is yours when you sign up for the Get International Clients Newsletter giving you easy to implement tips and case studies for free each week, to help you develop your international business today.

Get More International Clients Now

This is part of a long series: Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools. You will find the link to the guide with the other articles at the end of this article. Be sure to check back for more.

Important: Read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools before implementing any of these web tools.

There is more than one tool you can use to appeal to each of the different cultural behavioral traits.

We have already reviewed three web tools for cross cultural communication to cultures with a high Uncertainty Avoidance behavioral trait:

• Customer Service
• Free offers
• Tradition Themes

Let’s continue with a fourth Uncertainty Avoidance web tool :

Testimonials

This week we will look at another high Uncertainty Avoidance cultural behavior web tool :

• Testimonials

Testimonials are great tools for cultures that are not open to taking risks. Testimonials given the right emphasis on your website will reassure your international visitors. A lack of testimonials creates cultural communication barriers.

Let’s review the cultural behavior of uncertainty avoidance:

Traits Of Cultures High In Uncertainty Avoidance

Some cultures are described as being high on a scale of uncertainty avoidance. These cultures are stimulated more with:

• Predictability
• Structure
• Order

They do not respond well when they are faced with:

• Ambiguity
• Less structure
• Taking risks

This explains why presenting a theme on tradition on your website can get you better results in these cultures.
Here’s one thing you can do to communicate better with your clients in these cultures:

Highlight Use Of Testimonials

In these cultures you need to pay attention to how you communicate and emphasize:

• Testimonials from customers
• Testimonials from industry leaders
• Trust building seals, stamps, logos or certificates
• Industry awards

These testimonials should be clear and easy to verify. They must all be ethical in every way.

Remember, there will be other tools you will need to highlight as well.

Basic Guidelines For Using This Web Tool

Important Notice

If you have not read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools as mentioned in the very beginning of this article. Please do so before implementing any of these web tools.

Use these cross cultural web tools to inspire you to improve your web communication with your international clients.

I have been covering all of the different cultural behaviors this month in the Get International Clients Weekly Newsletter. Sign up and learn lots more.
Don’t forget to come back and check the guide for other web tools - I will be going through a long list of them over the next couple of months:

• Web Tools For Cultural Communication

Do you want better results on your cross cultural sales?
Ask me for a cross cultural critique of your website. Email me here.

Enjoyed reading this?

Get a free special report that gives you the 8 Steps To Develop Your International Business easily from where your are now.

This valuable report is yours when you sign up for the Get International Clients Newsletter giving you easy to implement tips and case studies for free each week, to help you develop your international business today.

Get More International Clients Now

This is part of a long series: Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools. You will find the link to the guide with the other articles at the end of this article. Be sure to check back for more.

Important: Read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools before implementing any of these web tools.

There is more than one tool you can use to appeal to each of the different cultural behavioral traits.

We have already reviewed two such tools for cultures with a high masculinity behavioral trait. These were the web tools of:

• Games and Quizzes
• Product Quality

Get To The Point

This week we are going to look at another web tool for high masculinity cultures:

• Get to the point when giving your information on your website

It’s often easier to understand this when looking at how you would appeal to the cultures on the other end of the scale. At this opposite end of the scale you would use a soft sell approach with attention to images.

Here, in today’s example, in cultures with high masculinity traits you would use less imagery to get your point across.

Let’s review the the cultural behavior of masculinity:

Traits Of Cultures High In Masculinity

Some cultures are described as being high on a scale of masculinity and are compared to cultures at the other end of the scale which are high in femininity. The cultures high in masculinity are stimulated more with:

• Ambition
• Achievement
• Assertiveness

Here’s one thing you can do to communicate better with your clients in these cultures:

Highlight Your Directness

In these cultures you need to pay attention how you:

• Get to the point
• Avoid excessive imagery
• Be careful with the use of fantasy

In cultures high on the masculinity scale it is important to get directly to the point in giving information on your website.
The 5 different cultural behaviors were covered in the last 5 weeks of the Get International Clients Weekly Newsletter. This week continues with more cross cultural communication tools. Sign up for the newsletter to find out more.

Basic Guidelines For Using This Web Tool

Important Notice

If you have not read the Basic Guidelines For Using Cross Cultural Communication Web Tools as mentioned in the very beginning of this article. Please do so before implementing any of these web tools.

Use these cross cultural web tools to inspire you to improve your web communication with your international clients.

Don’t forget to come back and check the guide for other web tools - I will be going through a long list of them over the next couple of months:

• Web Tools For Cultural Communication

Do you want better results on your cross cultural sales?
Ask me for a cross cultural critique of your website. Email me here.


Enjoyed reading this?

Get a free special report that gives you the 8 Steps To Develop Your International Business easily from where your are now.

This valuable report is yours when you sign up for the Get International Clients Newsletter giving you easy to implement tips and case studies for free each week, to help you develop your international business today.

Get More International Clients Now

GIC Sunday Blog Carnival - 29 June 2008

Cross Cultural Communications

John W. Furst presents Email Feedback Loops And Some Internet History posted at E-Biz Booster Blog, saying, “In cross cultural communications it is even more important to let potential clients know that there emails get delivered. Create a feedback loop and make sure you can rely on Email for even very important things.”

International Business

Joseph McClellan presents What I Learned In Mexico: Business Negotiation posted at Debit versus Credit, saying, “Doing business internationally is not something that should be taken lightheartedly. Business negotiations are different anywhere you go around you the world and you would be wise to be prepared as such. This post goes over my own experiences with the differences between Mexican and U.S. business negotiators.” Read more

Internet marketing is a great tool for international business expansion. It can help you get more international clients…if you use it right.

Part of the equation for a successful international internet business is using the correct marketing online for your international audience.

Internet Marketing Today

Internet marketing has become fairly sophisticated with regards to Search Engine Optimization. The search engines have become so sophisticated and they change so rapidly that online businesses are no longer trying to master them. It has just become too expensive to do so, and the rapid changes in search engine algorithms mean they might be wasting their money.

This is good news for the internet users. Online businesses are coming back to stronger marketing to their internet readers.

Good internet marketing has more to do today with creating meaningful relationships with readers than ever before.

Marketing To The Right Cultural Target

The dilemma is that you cannot really contain your website to one location. If your website is in English for example, your readers will come from all sorts of countries. Online businesses need to adjust their marketing to the different cultures of their audiences.

So does what does this mean for online businesses? Read more