With the world becoming faster, and closer, a lot of companies are considering having some of their products made in Asia, with the hope of dramatically improving their margins. Perhaps they are buying from a distributor and feel their volume is sufficient to make importing viable.

Sounds like smart business, right? Yes, I agree. The next question is how to begin? Should you respond to one of marketing emails you get from the thousands of Asian sellers? Find one on Alibaba? I am quite sure it happens all day long. Some of them might even have a good experience. I can tell you, after 40 years in doing business in Asia, you should not leave your business up to chance. If you want to start sourcing products in Asia, there are strategies that can minimize your risk, and dramatically improve your chances of success. This is not a corner you should cut. Will it increase your costs? Maybe, but more likely it will lower your costs for 2 main reasons.

1. You will avoid big mistakes, which we all know are extremely costly, and

2, whatever you pay me or another expert, will be offset by getting better prices, quality and deliveries. When you are ready to move forward on your off shore project, interview people to work with much like you would any other important professional.

Make sure they are the right fit for your project, and make sure you get a good feeling about working with them. Good luck, Lou Wald