Many companies strive to standardize as much as possible, which saves on costs, but such standardization does not always work with international expansion. The methods that prove most effective to customers in Texas may not appeal to the Chinese market. International expansion involves research of the target market to determine needs. Then, executives can redefine their approach accordingly. Business entities should enter the international expansion process with the assumption that much will be different in the new market.
Scott Gelbard currently consults for a wide array of companies. Since 2010, he has worked with Terra Firma, BTO Yogurt, and GlobalLeadGen, a lead generation firm that specializes in online marketing campaigns to drive new customers for client companies.