Building a working relationship Building a working relationship
Once you have established a relationship with an overseas customer, representative, or distributor, it is important to work on building and maintaining that relationship. Common courtesy should dictate business activity. By following the points outlined in this chapter, your company can present itself well. Beyond these points, you should keep in mind that a foreign contact should be treated and served with the same professional considerations extended to a domestic contact. For example, your company should keep customers and contacts notified of all changes, including changes in price, personnel, address, and phone numbers.
Because of distance, a contact can “age” quickly and cease to be useful unless communication is maintained. If your company cannot afford frequent travel, consider using e-mail, videoconferencing, faxes, and phone calls to keep the working relationship active and up to date.
| Your product may be the best and the cheapest—but if international customers don’t like talking to you,you’ll lose business. |