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To better answer your question, I sat down recently with Jordan Colletta, the Vice President of e-commerce marketing for UPS. As we all know, UPS is a worldwide leader in shipping, but what I didn’t know but learned after speaking with Colletta, is just how much UPS does for a small business (via online tools, services, etc.). Says Colletta, “if we make it easier for a small business to grow, then as their business grows, so does ours. It’s a win-win.”

According to Colleta, this is the “best time ever” to take your small business global, for a few reasons:

• The weak U.S. dollar means that international customers have greater buying power.
• Rapidly growing economies like those in China and India offer vast, open, potentially lucrative markets.
• There is a great demand abroad for U.S. products.

The key to tapping into this success, says Colletta, is your willingness to go outside your comfort zone. We are all used to doing business a normal way and its simply a fact that to go international will require that you adopt some new strategies and procedures.

So, what are the actual steps for selling your products abroad? It is a 4-step process.

1. Review your options:  Begin by looking at your product line and consider which items you offer that seem to have the best international appeal. Do your homework, see what sells, and see what prices such items bring in overseas markets. You need to also consider how these items will look on your website.

2. Consider your markets:  Some markets may be easier for you to tap than others, for example, having relatives in Ireland may open some doors for you. The important thing is that you match your product with the right country or countries, and in that sense, this is not much different than what you do already – figuring out what will sell best where.

3. Overcome obstacles:  The most common obstacles for the small business desiring to go global are these:

• Navigating regulations, taxes, and duties: Especially in this post-9/11 world, there are no shortage of hoops that an international shipper must jump through. One place to start to familiarize yourself is the U.S. government export portal, Export.gov.
• Another place to look is to your shipping company. According to Colletta, a good shipper will make this part of the puzzle simple by handling as many of the details as possible. Sending the actual shipments: The right shipping partner is critical as it will be the conduit between your business and your international customer.

Create your process:  What language will you do business in? What will you do when an order comes in? What currency or currencies will you accept? How will you communicate with the buyer, who will pack the package, how will you communicate with the shipper, who pays what costs, and who is responsible for shipping it? How will you handle returns? (Again, a good shipping partner should make this process easier.)

There are all sorts of reasons to consider taking your business global, but maybe the best one is this: Even though here at home small businesses are having a tough time, things are not the same abroad. Abroad you can tap into booming economies and consumers eager to buy American products.

Or, in other words, maybe it is time to go for the gold!

Today’s tip:  You can also get some free help from your local U.S. Trade office. You can find yours here, or by calling 1-800-USA TRAD(E).

© 2009 Steven D. Strauss, http://www.MrAllBiz.com