Throughout my career with the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, and now as an international business consultant, the most challenging situations with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have not involved the technical, logistical or regulatory aspects of exporting; rather, the really tough and relatively common issue facing SMEs entails getting the ultimate decision-makerâs long-term commitment to international market expansion.
In the last three decades, I have met with many directors and vice presidents who enthusiastically articulated their passionate interest in growing their companyâs international sales, who later received direction to discontinue the effort by the top decision-maker. I have also spoken with top decision-makers who initially indicated an interest in exploring international markets, only to later abandon the effort. A frustrating, but not uncommon, situation.
