5 Steps to Starting Your Export Journey

Summary: Starting to export takes five steps: choosing a target market with trade data, defining the buyer profile in that market, reaching buyers directly, settling logistics and payment terms, and starting with a single market. The third step is the one most often underestimated. In our campaign data, reaching buyers in Western Europe took several times more outreach than reaching buyers in Turkey.

We put this guide together from our work with first-time exporters and from the data of international campaigns we run for clients.

Step 1: How Do You Choose a Target Market?

Start by finding out which countries import the most of your product. Using your product's HS code, free databases such as Trade Map and UN Comtrade show import volume by country, the five-year trend, and your home country's share in each market. We walk through the method in our B2B Market Research Guide.

Trade data answers "where is the demand?" Market selection also needs answers to these questions:

• Tariffs and regulation: Does your product face extra duties, certification, or registration requirements?
• Competition: Who already sells there, and at what price level?
• Distance and logistics: Do shipping time and cost price you out?
• Access: Do you have a way to reach buyers in this country?

The last question is often skipped. The market that looks most attractive on paper can be the one where buyers are hardest to reach.

Step 2: How Do You Define Your Buyer Profile?

Once you have picked a country, decide who you will sell to there. Export buyers are usually one of four types: importers, distributors, retail chains, or industrial end users. Each has a different buying process.

Define the profile under these headings:

• Buyer type and sub-sector
• Company size (headcount or revenue)
• The title that makes the buying decision (purchasing manager, category manager, managing director)
• Current supplier setup (single supplier or several)

In our published Güldez Kozmetik case, the targets were pharmacy chains, cosmetics distributors, and marketing agencies in Georgia. In that case, reaching 480 people over three weeks was enough: 15 meetings led to 4 signed agreements. The sharper the profile, the fewer people you need to reach.

Step 3: How Do You Reach Buyers Abroad?

Trade fairs and intermediaries remain important. But a fair happens once or twice a year, and an intermediary builds the buyer relationship on your behalf. The direct route to buyers is LinkedIn and email.

Expectations need to be set carefully here. In the LinkedIn invitations we sent for clients between March and August 2026:

• People in Turkey accepted 35% of invitations, and 20% of those replied: about 6 conversations per 100 invitations.
• People in Western Europe (the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands) accepted 11%, and 9% of those replied: about 1 conversation per 100 invitations.

Part of this gap may reflect the sectors and offers of the campaigns targeting those countries. The practical conclusion holds either way: getting the same number of meetings abroad requires a buyer list several times larger. Giving up on a market because the first month produced only a few conversations is premature.

Things to watch when writing to buyers abroad:

• Write in the buyer's language. English is not enough in every market. A message in German, French, or Italian shows the buyer you are actually targeting them.
• Make the sender credible. A buyer abroad does not know you. An English (or local-language) version of your website, your references, and your certifications matter as much as the first message.
• Use two channels. Buyers who do not accept a LinkedIn invitation can be reached by email. See our Multichannel Outreach Guide.

Step 4: How Do You Set Logistics and Payment Terms?

Before the first order, the operational questions need answers:

• Delivery terms (Incoterms): EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP, and others define where shipping cost and risk pass to the buyer. Know which terms you will quote before the first meetings.
• Customs broker: Work with a broker for export declarations, certificates of origin, and any product certificates.
• Payment method: Advance payment, letters of credit, and documents against payment reduce risk on first deals. Consider open-account terms once you know the buyer.
• Insurance: Factor in cargo insurance and, where needed, export credit insurance.

Being able to settle these points with the buyer in the first meeting sets you apart from an inexperienced supplier.

Step 5: Why Start With a Single Market?

Running your first export effort in one country with one buyer type is the fastest way to learn what works. Writing to five countries at once makes it hard to tell which message, which price, and which buyer type produced results.

After two or three months in one market, you will know which titles reply, whether your price is competitive, and how samples or trial orders progress. Those answers also make choosing the second market easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which market should I choose to start exporting?

Use import data for your product's HS code to find the countries with demand. Then compare the top three on tariffs, competition, logistics cost, and access to buyers. Choosing a nearby, accessible country first shortens the learning curve.

How do I reach buyers abroad?

The main routes are trade fairs, trade missions, intermediaries, and direct outreach through LinkedIn and email. Direct outreach converts at lower rates than at home: in our data, LinkedIn acceptance was 11% in Western Europe against 35% in Turkey.

How long does it take to land the first export order?

It depends on the market, product, and buyer type. In our published Güldez Kozmetik case, 4 agreements were signed in Georgia within three weeks, with a narrow buyer group and a ready product. For industrial products, sampling and trials can take several months.

Which export payment method is safest?

For first deals, advance payment or a letter of credit carries the least risk for the seller. As you get to know the buyer, you can move to documents against payment or open account.

Should I start exporting to one market or several?

We recommend one. Seeing what works in a single country before moving to a second one makes better use of your resources.

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The most time-consuming part of starting to export is finding the right buyers and reaching them. To identify and meet buyers in your target market, take a look at our International Client Acquisition service or talk it through with us in a free consultation.