New markets can mean markets in a new location or country.  However, on a more practical level, a new market is simply a set of customers who have not purchased from you before.  This means that a new market could be customers in a different part of town, socio-economic group, country or industry.

To be successful, all businesses must constantly work to get new markets to:

• ensure increasing sales,
• reduce dependency on existing customers,
• replace customers who have left because of lack of need or who have switched to a competitor
• build a customer base for a new product or service or when entering a new sales territory

If you are thinking of entering a foreign market, ExportSource, and InfoExport can be an excellent sources of information about countries, their markets and business practices.

Market Entry Strategies

There are a variety of ways to enter a new market including:

• Indirect entry - working through an agent or distributor in the foreign market
• Direct entry - exporting your products/services
• Cooperative strategies - utilizing licensing agreements, joint ventures, strategic alliances to gain a market presence or enter a market directly
• Direct investment - establishing a retail location, manufacturing facility or sales office in the new location.