Jeremy Kaplan
If you own a company and have seen success in your own country, then you may be looking at ways to grow your business, perhaps by expanding overseas. Whether you sell goods online into a new market or plan to expand physically into new countries, making international business deals will be a necessary part of your plans. If you have never conducted business across borders you might wonder how to go about it or what you need to know first. To help, we have rounded up the most common issues to consider when conducting international business.
Exchange rates
Whether you need to move dollars to the UK or to Australia, one issue you will face is exchange rates. Unfortunately, there is no avoiding this issue altogether as you will always need to exchange money from a local currency into your own at some point. If for example you were selling goods into the UK market, you will have to convert the money made on the transactions back into USD eventually. Naturally one problem you could face is a poor exchange rate which means you make less money on transactions or deals when the funds are converted back. To help deal with this, many businesses use online money transfer brokers to help. These often have more attractive rates than bank and lower fees, so that you end up better off financially.
Time differences
If you are looking to expand into a new territory and are setting up deals to make this happen, you must remember about time differences. Although it may be 10.00 am where you are, it could be four o’clock in in the morning overseas! Being aware of this will mean you avoid wasting time trying to get in touch when no-one is around or annoying people by constantly bothering them in the early hours or late at night. Time difference should play a part in your thinking when deciding where to do new deals and where to strike up partnerships with overseas companies. By making sure it is convenient to contact each other you are likely to see more success with any deal or venture.
Culture is important
As well as time, you must remember that different countries have different values and cultures. When doing business internationally, it is important to be aware of this. By brushing up on the culture of the country you are dealing with, you will be able to speak clearly about business matters and avoid causing offence unintentionally.
International business is a big deal
The days of only doing business within your own country are long gone. Even the smallest of businesses now sell their goods or services overseas. For many this could be just online, but you could also open up physical locations in other countries as well. All this will involve making business deals with both the public and other organizations overseas. Hopefully the above tips will give you a head start on how to go about this thereby avoiding many problems.
