International Business Advice – American Mistakes in International Marketing

A big mistake Americans make is they feel that: “if it works here, it’ll work elsewhere, the same way, the same model, often even with the same people.”

I always joke that you have a sales manager who did such a great job with Kansas, that they’re now giving him Japan as a territory. And he knows nothing about Japan, doesn’t understand the language, doesn’t understand the culture, doesn’t understand any of their systems. None of his skills transfer. He might be the greatest salesman in Kansas, but the definition of a people person is very different in Japan. This is the big mistake: “It worked here, it’ll work there.” In Market Entry we must remember that our way is only an option.