Desperately Seeking Imports

How do you go about finding goods to bring stateside? You have several options:

Travel abroad on an import search mission.
Wait for foreign manufacturers to contact you.
Attend trade shows.
Contact foreign embassies' trade development offices.
Contact the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Association.
Track down leads on the Internet and in trade publications.
Selling Yourself
You've located foreign manufacturers or suppliers whose products have U.S. sales potential. Now you have to sell them on the idea of entering the U.S. marketplace and convince them that you're the person to usher them in. How do you do this? Basically, the same way you'll pitch domestic manufacturers, with a direct-mail campaign. Only in this case, you'll do better to think of it as a direct fax letter. Although many traders rely on international mail, unless you're sending to regions or countries with highly developed infrastructures, such as Canada or Western Europe, you'll be much more assured of your missive reaching its destination if you send it by fax.

In your letter, outline the various opportunities available in the United States for the product and highlight that you'll handle all import logistics with little cost to the manufacturer. It's very similar to the export letter, with two exceptions:

You should address the letter recipient. For example, use Monsieur (abbreviated M.) instead of "Mr." if the recipient is French. Even though your letter is in English, this little touch shows that you do know something about the French language and that you've taken the care and courtesy to address the recipient in his own tongue.
Check to make sure you've eliminated any slang that may be confusing to non-natives.

International Call
Follow up in a few days with another fax. Think of the follow-up as a firm but gentle nudge, an opportunity to strengthen your position and demonstrate real interest in importing the merchandise. Remember that part of your task is to convince the potential client that your company is the best one for the job, so you have to supply a reason for this. If you can't claim that you're experienced in interior design (or mulch or whatever) sales in the United States and Europe (or wherever), then come up with something else. Maybe you're only experienced in the United States so far. That's fine! That's where you'll be selling. Maybe you're not experienced yet, but you've done a great deal of research. Fill that in instead. Use your creativity!