Results from an email marketing program can be very fast as email gets to the prospective customer within seconds. It is also capable of covering even overseas markets equally fast.
If the response is high, you would need an automatic answer back while you deliberate on what has to be done. The objective is to convert as many calls as possible to a conclusive sale.
You might find yourself developing an export market that you would never have expected. It is, therefore, important that you are properly organised to deal with overseas inquiries. Cash transfer methods like letters of credit and delivery modes like shipping or air freighting, would all have to be dealt with in the course of time. Your marketing consultant or agency should have briefed you, on these issues, and you should be able to respond fast to such emails. Most countries offer a wide range of incentives like tax breaks and grants for exporters as this helps the balance of payments in the country of the exporter. Governments allow this is due to the inflow of foreign exchange.
The emails that come in as a response would give you a good indication of what stocks are popular and which are slow moving. You could use this valuable information when you are replenishing stocks. You will need to establish re-order levels and re-order quantities depending on the delivery time. You might receive some comments about packaging whether it be a shrink, polybag or corrugated carton. You should contact vendors who sell these items and negotiate quantity discounts. You could also be offered attractive payment terms like 30 or 45 days on receipt of goods.
A lot would depend on where the marketer has circulated the emails. For example, if you are dealing with boats the area in the vicinity of a harbor or waterway needs to be comprehensively covered. If one deals with medical equipment hospital procurement staff must be covered. Industries like fishing would center around the harbour.
One cannot overstress the importance of being geared to cope up with any eventuality like those discussed above. Ideally these issues should have been embodied into the marketers report. It is not a bad idea to continue with his services for a longer time. His services are useful as he has the experience to figure out a product mix that is bringing in the revenue and leave out those that are perishing or becoming obsolete as they are no longer in demand.