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The USA is the world's largest importing country. US importers and buying agents are always looking for new products to sell. US consumers are hungry for a wide variety of products.
However, marketing and selling to US importers can be very difficult. There is competition from exporters in almost every country of the world. Being successful in finding US importers to buy your product requires patience and knowledge of how the system works. With so many exporters trying to sell them products, US importers can be very selective. It is extremely important that you the exporter understand your products potential in the US market, the best ways to market and sell it, and how to get along with the importer.
There are a variety of ways to market your product to US importers. The best way for you depends on your product, the market you are trying to reach, what country you are in, and your budget.
Use Direct Marketing
Direct marketing remains one of the most effective ways of reaching and convincing importers to buy your product or service. Yes it is more expensive than some of the other ways. And yes it does take more time to get results. But the results that you will get are MUCH greater than with any other technique. Direct marketing means sending a sales letter (and possibly a brochure) by mail to importers who you know might be interested in your product.
The first thing you need is a list of prospective buyers. A list of approximately 13,000 US importers in a variety of different sectors can be found on the CD List of US Importers and Buying Agents.
Keep Your Sales Letters Simple and Short
The second thing you need is a really good sales / marketing letter. More detailed information is in the section Sample Sales Letters. Your sales letter should have four paragraphs, not more and not less. The first paragraph gets the buyer's attention (you have only 7 seconds to do this). The second paragraph tells what the seller can do for the buyer. The third paragraph gives the details. The fourth paragraph is perhaps the most important. It tells the buyer exactly what to do to order the product or to get more information. This should ALWAYS include asking the buyer to visit the seller's web site for details.
Keep Your Brochure to One or Two Pages
Whether to enclose a brochure with your sales letter is up to you. Now that buyers can go to the internet and get information from a seller's web site, brochures have become almost obsolete. If you do include a brochure it should be no more than two pages. Large brochures are a waste of your money and the buyer's time. You can put this same information up on your web site and change it as the market requires.
Have a Well Designed Web Site
The third thing you need is a good web site. More detailed information is in the section Designing Your Web Site. Exporters who do not have a web site are at a serious disadvantage. If you are serious about doing business with US importers, you should have a well-designed web site. It is very important in today's market. If you don’t have one, get one. Not having a web site is like not having a fax machine.
Sell Your Goods by Using B2B Web Sites
The way products are sold to American importers and buyers has changed over the last 10 years with the introduction of the internet. Business-to-Business (B2B) portal web sites were very popular in the last few years of the 1990s and early years of the 2000s. Their importance and significance has since decreased as trade fairs have become ever more popular. But B2B sites can be a source of customers and can be a great way of seeing what your competitors in other countries are doing. More detailed information is in the section Using B2B Portal Web Sites.
Have An Effective E-Mail Marketing Strategy
Sending sales messages by e-mail can be a low cost, effective, and fast way to find new customers. But it has to be done properly and using the expected business etiquette. Done the wrong way and you will get the reputation of spamming or being a "spammer". And importers HATE spammers.
The key to having a successful e-mail marketing campaign is to have an "opt-in" e-mail list. Importers voluntarily give you their e-mail addresses in hope that you will send them some valuable information (a newsletter, for example) about the sector or your products. More detailed information is in the section Marketing and Selling by E-mail.
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Doing business with US importers can be very frustrating and time consuming. But done properly it can also be very, very profitable.
