To a great extent, the U.S. manufacturer's reputation is made by the overseas service facility. The service experience can be a positive and reinforcing sales and service encounter. It can also be an excellent sales opportunity if the service personnel are trained to take advantage of the situation. Service personnel can help the customer make life cycle decisions regarding the efficient operation of the product, how to update it for more and longer cost-effective operation, and when to replace it as the task expands or changes. Each service contact is an opportunity to educate the customer and expand the exporter's sales opportunities.
Service is also an important aspect of selling solutions and benefits rather than product features.
Training service managers and personnel in this type of thinking vitalizes service facilities and generates new sales opportunities. Each foreign market offers a unique opportunity for the U.S. exporter. Care and attention to the development of in-country sales and distribution capabilities is paramount. Senior personnel should commit to a program of regular travel to each foreign market to meet with the company's representatives, clients, and others who are important to the success of the firm in that market. The benefits of such a program are twofold.