I've been manufacturing jewelry in Bangkok and for years now and I've witnessed the prices of Tourmaline rough stay amazingly steady. Recently new factors have precipitated a huge average price hike: Namely the discovery of qualities of tourmaline from Africa and Afghanistan that have truly beautiful and therefore precious colors putting tourmaline in the category with Emeralds which have for the longest time been valued much more. Tourmaline comes in all colors and shades of the rainbow but only some colors are very valuable Mostly the blues and pinks bright greens.

Tourmalines are mined all over the globe, including places like the US and Nepal. Most of the mining that feeds today's markets however comes from Afghanistan and various parts of Africa. Nigeria, Mozambique, Madagascar, Uganda, Congo, Tanzania.

Afghani tourmaline is considered very high quality because of its color range and excellent luster and purity it is much more expensive than African.

Afghani Tourmaline can be found in Peshawar Pakistan, the nearest market to the mines which a are located in central Afghanistan. from there it moves to places like Bangkok , Hong kong and Germany . Supply is good and the prices are ranging from 200 to 1000 dollars per gram for rough.
Good quality African rough on the other hand, ranges from 100 to 500 dollars per gram.

The best quality rough stones from all over the world find their way to Idar Oberstein in Germany where higher prices can be gotten. The rest is sold in Bangkok or Hong Kong.

Mostly the low quality bead material goes to Hong Kong.

The New mines in Mozambique have produced new colors such as the "Paraiba" named after the Brazilian quality it resembles. The Mozambique "Paraiba" stones only reach these colors after heating however whereas the Brazilian Paraiba is naturally of brilliant color.( Paraiba in the trade is now defined as copper bearing stones of any color and not as a certain color of blue from brazil)
Nigerian tourmaline is known for a nice pink and if heated the luster and color improve.

The top lapidary companies in the world are in Germany where there is a combination of machine makers and a great tradition of fine goldsmiths.

Cutting edge technologies usually emerge from Germany and filter down to Thailand by way of technicians who are sent to train people in Bangkok.

Bangkok is the close second because of the cheap labor and the huge number of jewelry factories requiring stones.

The Africans who bring rough stones to Thailand and Hong Kong are traders.

They sell stones so they can buy clothing, cellphones and plastic items from China. Mostly these traders are buying from the pickers and know very little about the stones origin. This trade has brought Chinese people to Africa and Africans to China. The world of stones has no boundaries and it is common for Colombian Emerald dealers to bring their stones to Bangkok to be cut or for Indians from Jaiphur to go to Colombia to buy rough. In Hong Kong there is a Building where Many of the Africans who trade with China stay and where they Buy and sell their wares. Sometimes they bring stones by the container and sometimes in a suitcase. The Chinese Near Hong Kong have huge factories where they cut and polish beads in huge machines and where thousands of stringers make colorful necklaces.

What is your perception of Asia? If you have never traveled to the East, I can tell you from experience that it is nothing like you imagine.

My first trip was in January of 1991 to manufacture products. I made a lot of mistakes, learned valuable business lessons, and made a lot of new friends and business contacts.

My first mistake was thinking with a Western mind. I lined up 3 to 5 appointments per day on my first trip, only to discover that the East doesn't work like the well-greased get-it-done-now mentality of the West.

Traffic and transportation presented hurdles that I was not prepared for and considered myself lucky to be able to make 2 of my appointments per day. I spent a lot of time apologizing for being unable to make prescheduled meetings. This was not a pleasant or comfortable thing to do.

So, business mistake one was to overbook appointments when not familiar with modes of transportation, traffic patterns, or the country's attitude toward promptness.

You hear stories from people (who you find out later don't know what they were talking about) about how cheap things are to manufacture in Asia and that you can make a fortune.

Labor is less in most parts of the East than it is in the West, but there are many hidden costs that you run into. You have to be realistic about what things will really cost. The biggest surprise I got was the (on the side, under the table, cash) money that had to be spread around to get things moving at the Western pace that I was use to.

So, business mistake number two is two-fold. Don't take advice from people who have never done it and realize that the days of cheap local labor and materials are fading fast. Just look at the price of oil and steel and you'll see that unless you are manufacturing in the millions of pieces, the small guy has a difficult time competing.

The hardest thing to deal with was my own impatience. I spent most of my life in Los Angeles and it's a fast-paced, competitive, and often frustration. (road-rage is common)

Getting down to business is a common mode of operation in the West, but in the East it boils to relationships. You must first establish a relationship, a comfort level, a feeling of trust and friendship, before proceeding to the business end of your meeting. You can miss opportunities to work with great companies if you let your Western impatience get in the way.

So, business mistake number three is when you try and hurry to get a deal done. You will miss out on some valuable opportunities if you are hurried. ( I really speak from experience.) Slow your pace; be prepared for delays, multiple meetings, and slow responses to your questions. The answers will come, the opportunities will surface, and the deals will get done as long as you are patient.

I'm thankful that the world of business contains the language of English. I would have to say that worse than not speaking the language of a foreign country that you are trying to do business in, would be to mispronounce the language in an attempt to appear informed and knowledgeable.

Travel with a top-notch interpreter and limit your speaking a foreign tongue to greetings. I've addressed company executives with the wrong pronunciation, tone of voice, and inflection and paid the price. The price was no deal or prices so high as to discourage my business.

So, business mistake number four is fumbling and mumbling a language that you have no skills in. My suggestion is to learn simple greetings and a couple of key phrases, but unless you intend on mastering the language, speak slowly and carefully in your native tongue.

Your slowness in speech will be appreciated and you will gain respect for your politeness and shed the image of an arrogant Westerner. Smile, but not too much to look like a dunce.

Foreign countries have foreign laws and getting fined or even arrested can put a real crimp in your business schedule. Simple things like crossing the street in the wrong place, disregarding a signal, or smoking in the wrong area can all cost you more than just money.

The environmental issues have spread worldwide and laws have been imposed as a result and can sting you or embarrass you in front of an important business contact or company executive.

So, business mistake number five is not being aware of the local laws, social graces, or environmental policies. Brush up on the etiquette of your destination in the East.

All five of these business mistakes can be avoided with very little effort, but you must make the effort. If you don't make the effort, you will waste a lot of time apologizing, paying fines, and trying to close a deal.

As an additional suggestion, some businesses move at a faster pace than others, but still at a slower pace than you are use to, so learn to take on a chameleon approach. In other words, mimic the pace and rhythm of the other person.

Thinking about new investment destinations in Asia? What about the Republic of Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan, located between the borders of Russia and China in Central Asia, is size of the whole of Western Europe and four times the size of Texas.

It currently has double the oil reserves of the the North Sea with over 35 billion barrels and by 2015 the current projections are for oil reserves of more than 100 billion barrels. For any economy this is a pretty good situation considering the oil price has been hovering at US$135 a barrel and will probably go higher. Besides oil, it has the world's largest reserves of barite, lead, tungsten, and uranium; second largest reserves of chromite, silver, and zinc; third largest of manganese, significant deposits of copper, gold, and iron ore. Rich in natural resources, Kazakhstan has become a popular destination for the oil and mining industry since it emerged from independence from the Soviet Union.

Besides resources, there would appear to be significant tourism potential in Kazakhstan as a travel destination. Currently tourism accounts for 5% of the country's GDP and is continuing to grow mainly driven by the strong growth in international business travellers working on the significant oil and gas projects. Positioned on the historical Silk Trade route between Europe and Asia, it offers historical monuments as well as diverse landscapes, mountains, rivers and lakes. Bird watching, fishing, hunting and trekking and beach holidays on the Caspian Sea are on offer. Opportunities for tourism remain positive and Kazakstan's enterprising entrepreneurs should be quick to showcase development opportunities for the global tourism market.

One of the interesting facts about Kazakhstan is that it is where apples originate. In fact, the commercial centre of Kazakhstan, Almaty, means "Rich with Apples" in the local language. Agriculture is a significant contributor to the economy and it accounts for more than 20% of GDP. Agribusiness featuring grain and livestock production in the north and fruit and vegatable production in the south is another promising sector. Privatization and productivity improvements provide opportunities for astute investors to develop profitable operations.

The one thing clear about Kazakhstan is that it is rich in resources and tourism potential. The next few years will present many business opportunities in this dynamic market especially for those willing to go beyond the traditional investment destinations.

Everyone is beating a path to Mongolia: the resources-hungry neighbours and former colonisers to the north and south, Russia and China, and the greatest global mining houses. There is uranium, gold, silver and especially copper and coal in vast quantities. In the southern part of the Gobi Desert, handily near the Chinese border, are two sensational deposits. They are Oyu Tolgoi, with a preliminary capacity to produce 400,000 tonnes of copper and 330,000 ounces of gold a year for 40 years, and Tavan Tolgoi, containing at least six billion tonnes of coal including 1.8million tonnes of high-grade coking coal for steel making.

Put simply, Mongolia is benefiting from the global commodity boom that has countries the world over scouring the earth for mineral resources. The billboards alongside Mongolia's pot-holed roads promote filters, pumps, diggers and drills, interspersed with ads for new series BMWs and Mercedes-Benz cars.

Economic growth, largely on the back of prospecting and mining, which provides 70 per cent of all government revenue, was up 7.5 per cent in 2007 and is at a sizzling 9.9% per cent in 2008.

After the Soviet downfall, Mongolia became an international model of pioneering liberalism for a time. The government gave back to its citizens most of the hundreds of companies inherited from the Soviet days, via vouchers they could redeem for company shares or for sheep and goats that had been unhappily collectivised. Half the population remains nomadic herders who live in circular tents knowns as gers, many of which contain satellite television sets powered by solar panels. The other half live in Ulan Bator, the coldest capital in the world during winter - mostly in Soviet-built flats, warmed centrally by a vast underground network of pipes.

The boom in Mongolia rolls on. 2007 was an extraordinary year of capital appreciation and rising prices - and the smart money is betting that 2008 may be just as spectacular.

Mongolia may seem an unlikely property investment destination, but the remote land-locked country is in the middle of a mining boom, with enormously rich mineral resources of copper, coal, and gold. This has brought in mining companies such as BHP, Rio Tinto, Ivanhoe, and Centerra Gold, as well as a large foreign diplomatic and commercial presence.

There is a severe shortage of quality housing. Ulan Bator is a Soviet-era city, ugly, badly planned. Accommodation is badly maintained, unattractive, and unsafe, and it is hard to convince expatriates to work in Ulan Bator. This has provided an opportunity for a few companies which are building modern high-quality condominium buildings.

Foreigners can freely own property in Mongolia through the Immoveable Property Ownership Certificate, which is equivalent to freehold ownership. Rising demand for accommodation from foreign experts and an extreme shortage of housing have generated very high yields. In Ulan Bator, rental income returns (yields) on high-end property are around 18%.

Prices have been rising rapidly due to rising demand. Capital appreciation has been around 15% per annum in the past three years, according to Mongolian Properties, a development company. Mongolia has low personal taxes, much tax avoidance.

Mongolia adopted a flat tax regime in January, 2007. Personal income taxes on income, including revenue from property, are imposed at the flat rate of 10% on net income over MNT 84,000 ($72). Deductions are permissible. In terms of capital gains are taxed in the same way as income. The round-trip costs of buying and selling a property are around 5.7%, including legal fees and the agent's commission (together 3.5%) and resale tax (2%).

"It appears to be a win-win situation," says London-based investment banker, Wesley Davis, 40, who has bought a three-bedroom apartment in The Regency Residence, the largest (14-storey), off-plan residential development to be built in Ulaan Baatar. "You invest around £50,000 for a new property in a country where the economy is growing at a rate of about 8 per cent and have a year-round rental income."

That potential is evident in Mongolia's booming tourism market. In 2007, the country had 500,000 visitors; it expects more than 700,000 in 2008. While most tourists are Chinese, escaping the polluted streets of Beijing for the clean air of Ulaan Baatar, there are increasing numbers visiting from Europe and North Africa. "This is evidence of how Mongolia's profile is increasing on the world stage," says Mr Eatock. "People are coming to realise that it is a safe, stable democracy that has a lot more to offer than kilometres of remote Gobi desert."

Ulaan Baatar, with its wide squares, parks and historic buildings, is the centre of Mongolian urban life. But most tourists head straight out to the windswept steppes for outdoor pursuits such as white water rafting, dog-sledding, helicopter trips, camel-riding, horse-riding and fishing for taimen - giant (2-3 metre) prehistoric salmon.

There is also much anticipation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which are expected to give another huge boost to Mongolia's tourism industry, with Beijing less than an hour's flight away.

The government is keen to expand its property market and is adopting a no-holds-barred approach to the buying process. All properties in Mongolia's capital, including apartments, are sold as freehold. There are no restrictions on foreign buyers, no capital gains or income taxes and no restrictions on the repatriation of capital.

With the reach that the Internet can give your business into foreign markets, there is great opportunity to grow and prosper. There is also a real chance that your business efforts overseas could run into some real snags, especially when it comes to your overseas marketing efforts.

Bad Translations at Work

We have all heard the apocryphal-and completely debunked-tale of the disastrous Central and South American introduction of the Chevy Nova (no va, in Spanish, means "won't go"). If that one, however, is untrue, there are others that have actually taken place. Some of these include:

Coca-Cola: Bite the Wax Tadpole

Back in 1928, when Coke first entered the Chinese market, they had to choose 4 Chinese characters to represent the sounds Ko Ka Ko La. The problem was that they pursued this phonetic needle in the haystack of Chinese characters with no regard to what the characters they finally chose would mean. Depending on the dialect, the characters they finally chose could mean:

* Bite the wax tadpole (My personal favorite)
* Wax-flattened mare
* Female horse fastened with wax

Happily, once they realized the mistake, they rectified it, changing the characters so that the meaning came out as "Something palatable from which one receives pleasure." A vast improvement over a waxy tadpole!

Pepsi Cola: Raise the Dead

There was no question about the translation of Pepsi's slogan, "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation." The Chinese translation for this came out as, "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave." That might explain those poor sales figures.

The American Dairy Association: A Question for New Mothers Everywhere

You shouldn't think that this only happens in China. Remember the highly successful "Got Milk?" campaign? Well, they decided to translate it into Spanish. "Got Milk?" was promptly rendered into that language and slapped on billboards all over the place. Unfortunately, it was translated as, "Are you lactating?" Where is the La Leche League when you need them?

Coors: Beer and Pepto-Bismal, The Breakfast of Champions

More slogan issues, this time with Coors Beer. When Coors decided to go after the Central and South American market, they had a slogan that said, "Turn It Loose." It worked in the US, so why wouldn't it work somewhere else, right? Perhaps it would have, except they translated their slogan to mean, "Suffer From Diarrhea." Could it be the water?

Electrolux. A Strong Word of Caution from the Manufacturer

Another slogan, and this time it's a foreign company trying to market something here in the United States. See, it happens here, too. Some time ago, the Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux came up with a slogan for their American advertising campaign. Here is what they came up with: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux." Consider yourself warned.

Literal vs. Literary

All fun aside, the common factor here is that these companies went ahead with translations that were totally unsuited for the markets they wished to penetrate and a major reason for that was the literal nature of their translations. Language is more than just a system of sounds and symbols that have some meaning attached to them, things that you can plug in and replace at whim. Meanings change over time (Do you remember when "gay" meant "happy?") and there are usually many ways to say the same thing, some of which are more appropriate than others, and many terms have double meanings. Sure, an Electrolux machine sucks, so do Kirbys and Hoovers, but it is still a good vacuum cleaner.

What you need to do is concentrate on a literary translation of what you want to say. By that I mean you need to concentrate on the concept you are trying to get across rather than the exact wording. If Electrolux had done that, then they would have said something like "Nothing picks up like an Electrolux;" or Pepsi could have discussed how bona fide living people could feel better and have more energy rather than the necromantic possibilities of their cola.

The Bottom Line

The fact is that the Internet has made international business a possibility for companies of all sizes and if you decide to go down that road, remember that the language you use when trying to do business overseas is of extraordinary importance. How you translate English into other tongues, or translate those languages into English, will have a profound effect on your marketing efforts. Forget translating your brand name, leave that as is; but as for your slogans, make sure that it is the idea that is translated, not necessarily the words. Do that and you could avoid joining the winners sited above on this or some other linguistic Wall of Shame.

You need to know where in the purchase process your international leads are at all times. This helps you to put up the best lead generation process to get more sales.

Before doing anything, you need a comprehensive definition of what a good lead is to your company. You will also need a scoring or evaluation process to put your leads into the right stage of your lead generation.

Qualify with BANTS

This is a simple method to come up with a clear definition on how to qualify your ideal lead.

* Budget - What budget does your lead need for your product or service?
* Authority - What level of authority does your lead need to purchase from you?
* Need - What obvious need does your lead need to have to buy your product?
* Time Frame - What is the time frame involved before processing through your sales team?
* Sales Ready - Is this lead ready to buy now? What is the size of the sales opportunity?

Your sales and marketing teams need to collaborate on qualifying your idea lead.

Your whole organization should have a good working understanding of your international lead qualification process.

Why?

This again comes down to the high incidence of cross-cultural miscommunication. Your international lead might be in the wrong part of your lead generation system. A different person in your organization might pick up more information from your international prospects that leads to a requalification.

Your international success depends on good teamwork.

Lead Scoring

You can find lead scoring techniques helpful when qualifying your leads. Give numerical values to different criteria within your BANTS process.

This gives a much more accurate picture to your marketing and sales teams. Scoring can help you to determine whether:

* There is genuine interest in the product
* Budget issues will influence purchase
* The lead is a decision maker or influencer
* An need or an immediate buy situation

You can adapt your scoring process to suit your specific goals and needs.

There is one difficulty. You need to have some accurate information and definitions to begin with.

Scoring is not easy to do with your first international leads. With international market, you may not be able to:

* Choose the right criteria to score
* Not be able to identify the key motivations in your foreign markets
* Be able to get enough information

In the beginning, you will probably feel that you do not get enough accurate information from your international leads to merit scoring.

Don't totally ignore the scoring process.

After some initial contact with your international markets, you will probably be able to see areas where you will want to use scores. These might not be for the same reasons you would use scoring in your domestic markets.

One of the key areas for using lead scoring in international markets is to understand your market segmentation much better.

Scoring can be a great international market research tool when just breaking into international businesses.

Integrate This Into A Full Lead Generation System

An international lead qualification process gives your company a solid foundation for international business development. Use the BANTS formula and an appropriate scoring process to get you started, then:

* Set up a process to qualify all of your international leads.
* Qualify all of your international leads as best you can.
* Be prepared to revise your definition of a qualified lead and your qualifying criteria.

Have you got your online international sales strategy all wrong?

Trend Towards More International Business

Most online businesses today want to get more international business through their website.

The fact is international business counts more today than every before. It often represents more stability through times of domestic economic instability. And we are going through some unsettling times.

Let's do a little international market brainstorming.

* What kind of international marketing pipeline do you need?

A Communication Platform Only

The easiest communication platform for you to use to reach international prospects is your company website. Everyone can see your website. But don't forget your website is only a communication platform.

* Are you concentrating on your communication platform rather than your marketing pipeline?

You need more than a platform to create a different source of revenue. So the next question is:

* Is your international internet marketing getting you more than just international visitors?

This is where a fuzzy ground often appears. It appears in this middle ground between:

* Using a website as a platform for international communication
* Having an effective international sales system

Where does this fuzziness come from?

Your Current Marketing Pipeline

The answer lies in the answers to these questions. Are you:

* getting any international leads or inquiries at all?
* having your inquiries and leads quickly fall aside?
* only getting inquiries?
* getting sales-ready leads?
* making any sales through online contacts?

Most businesses do not have an effective online international marketing pipeline. A pipeline that works all the way through and generates international sales. They achieve some results some where along the process without really understanding why.

In addition to having a communication platform you need to have an international marketing pipeline. An effective international marketing system to get you leads you can nurture into sales.

If you want to get more business out of your website, you need to create a marketing system to work with it. A website by itself does not get you the business.

I will look at how you can create your international marketing pipeline in another article soon.

The initial phases of international business expansion are often full of surprises meaning you cannot control many things in your international markets. Careful planning is important, but it does not prepare you for everything. Cultural differences come up all of the time.

The Advantage Of Measurement

This is why conducting your initial phases into foreign markets through an online approach has distinct advantages. Internet marketing gives you control over several areas. Or at least it gives you the means to adjust quickly to your market. You can measure your marketing and sales efforts easily.

You can do many things to control your international lead generation process online. Here is an outline of what you can do:

* Use internet marketing to get more inquiries.
* Easily document your online touches.
* Measure the results of
* your online touches.
* Learn where to adjust your communication easily, through practice.

International market feedback is easier than ever before to set up and stimulate online. As you get to know your foreign markets better, you refine your process to work better for you.

Use your website to create on online international lead generation system. But first, you need to set up a process you can document, measure and refine as you go along.

Your First Step

Before you set up a structure to work with, you need to spend some time defining important elements of your international marketing pipeline. You need to define:

* what a lead is to your company
* what qualifies your leads
* how best you can nurture all of your international qualified leads and work on improving this over time.

This may seem simple and you might even think you have the right answers. But it is well worth the time to review these definitions again. And make sure all of your team agrees with you.

Difficulties and fuzziness appear when there are different definitions or a lack of definition within your own company. You need to define a common language. You also need to define what it is you want.

This is important to do before creating your international marketing pipeline. That is what I will be covering later in this series.

With international lead generation, it is vital to start with the right definition and to qualify all of your leads.

* Start with a clear definition for what a lead is to your company.
* Qualify this definition as precisely as you can.
* Document, track and improve your process.

An accurate definition of your ideal lead gives you a key tool for optimum efficiency within your own business.

Define Your Lead And Expect To Revise It
It is also necessary to have an accurate definition of your ideal international lead because your definition is very likely to change as you get to know your international markets better.

If you are just beginning to target your international markets, you probably do not have an accurate picture of your ideal lead. You understand your side of what you want. But you probably do not fully understand what you can do for your international leads.

Your lead qualifying process is also a key step in your international market research. This qualifying process will give you more information about your international leads. Document this information, test and track results and you will see how to redefine your definition of your ideal lead.

First Define Your International Lead
First, how do you define your international lead? You need to get both your sales teams and your marketing teams together and come up with a very precise outline of your company's ideal client.

Try to identify the business problem your international lead has that your products helps resolve.

Do you know your international markets well enough to define your international lead? Probably not. This is not always easy if you are just starting to develop your international business.

The definition of your ideal international lead:

* Will probably be different to the definition for your domestic lead.
* Will change as you learn more about your international markets.

Then Keep Revising It Until It Is Right
This complicates things for you. You will need to revise your definition of your ideal lead throughout your initial phase of international business development.

You need a real lead generation system more than ever. You need a process and procedures where you can quality, measure and track. You need all the feedback you can get from your international leads.

A good lead generation system has three steps:

1. Lead Generation System For Inquiries
2. Lead Qualification System
3. Lead Nurturing

You need your definition of your ideal lead to set up your system to get international inquiries. During your lead qualification and lead nurturing processes you will need to:

* Constantly monitor all of your international feedback
* Regularly review your definition of your ideal international lead

Without a good process in place, your international business development will not take you very far.

You may be able to smooth over some lack of good business practices in your domestic markets. This is sometimes possible simply because you know your market well and are able to compensate in other areas.

International Miscommunications

You cannot smooth over any lack in good business practices as easily in international markets. The cultural differences in you international markets highlight any little areas lacking in good business practices.

The communication hurdles in doing international business means you must start with excellent business practices. If you don't?... well things just get messy. Then things are difficult to see clearly to analyze and move forward.

Start With The Right Definition For You

In international sales, confusion often happens right at the beginning of the sales process. With the basics. In order to generate leads you must know what they are.

* Who is your ideal international lead?

This is a deceptively simple question. Beware. If you do have the answer to this question, your international marketing is set for success. Chances are you don't know the right answer.

In the very beginning of all cross-cultural communication, mistakes usually originate in your own camp. You are your own first barrier in cross-cultural communication.

Sales teams and marketing teams often have very different definitions of what a "lead" is.

You cannot expect to have a good lead generation process if you have different definitions within your own company. This leads to inefficiency in your domestic market. It can actually block all of your international business.

* Lost leads mean lost sales.

Your online business should be generating inquiries.

If it is not generating any international inquiries, do not immediately assume it is a question of vague international business necessities. It might not even have much to do with a lack of international traffic.

Your Lead Definition Is A Base For Your Whole Lead Generation

Before doing anything else, evaluate your definition of a lead. Once you can:

* define what you mean by a lead, you will be able to qualify it.
* qualify your leads, you will be able to measure them.
* measure your leads, you can adjust your lead generation system.
* adjust your lead generation system, you can improve it.
* improve your lead generation system, you get to know your market better.

It is easy to document, track and measure results online. But if you start off with the wrong definition you will not be able to work with these results to get what you want.

You will need to adapt your definition of your ideal lead to meet the reality of your international market. This takes good marketing. It is easy to do if you start off on the right foot.