We found the US-AEP offices in Manila, Jakarta and Surabaya, as well as the respective commercial attaches at our U.S. embassies or consulates, offered tremendous help in both government agency and private sector appointments and local logistical coordination during our trip. The only disappointment or frustration we feel about the Southeast Asia marketplace is that there is so much going on in the region. It's hard to pass up an opportunity to submit a proposal for a project that sounds interesting, especially one that you are qualified to do. On the other hand, if you respond to every tender that looks interesting, you would never get anything done and wouldn't have time to establish the necessary business networks and personal relationships that are critical to sustain your business activity over the long term. Although it has been hard for Pentec to pass on certain projects, our first year international goals were to build relationships and corporate name recognition, mainly in the Philippines, Indonesia and a few Pacific island nations where McDowell had earlier established a successful project track record.
Many companies bite off more than they can chew in marketing internationally.
For most small companies, anything more than this and you are just fooling yourself. Accurate identification and assessment of a company's business niche is critical. Firms should concentrate their efforts on marketing their best service or best product. U.S. environmental expertise, technology, regulatory acumen and experience in the management of large and complex projects are strong calling cards internationally for U.S.-based environmental companies in Asia.