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Fourth step: market test - first steps in the market

Would you like to know how you can explore your target market step by step? Take trips there, get to know the market and customs and expand your network.

Have you already familiarized yourself with the basics of internationalization, acquired the most important market insights on potential target markets and evaluated a suitable business model? Then now you’re ready for your first steps in the market.

Travel as often as possible to your chosen target country. Attend trade fairs – as an exhibitor or participant. Establish contacts with potential business partners, customers and experts. And network with like-minded people in Switzerland. Find out how Switzerland Global Enterprise can help you with these projects and find useful articles and online tools for this internationalization step below.

Recommendations for the first steps in the market:

S-GE Business Trips allow you to individually design a business trip based on different modules. Choose the target market that is most relevant to you at the moment and find the date that fits your agenda.

Or you can arrange an individual business trip to your destination country. We arrange meetings for you with potential business partners, official bodies or other market experts in the target market.

Let the professionals from Switzerland Global Enterprise take care of the trade fair organization , while you concentrate entirely on making new contacts. The SWISS Pavilions, the joint stands of the Swiss umbrella brand, are home to some 250 companies and 8000 new, qualified contacts every year.

The support from S-GE makes the preparation, implementation and follow-up of your presence less stressful. On request, we will take care of communication with the trade fair management, area registration and deadline monitoring. We coordinate stand constructors and organize technical services – and we support you on site.

You can find an overview of the next SWISS Pavilions here. Whether a tailor-made appearance or a standardized small or very small stand in the mini SWISS Pavilion – we will be happy to support you. And network in your target market with the Swiss Embassy, the Consulate General and our branch offices, the Swiss Business Hub or Trade Point.

Our experts will be happy to help you find the right business partner. Thanks to the local contacts of our 27 branch offices, the Swiss Business Hubs and Trade Points, as well as our close business connections to 20 bilateral chambers of commerce, we can arrange the right business contacts for you in the target country and network you with decision-makers.

Expand your knowledge of foreign markets and use our events to extend your network. Every spring, the largest annual meeting of the export industry, the Aussenwirtschaftsforum (Foreign Trade Forum), is held, where you can exchange ideas and network with 600 SMEs and experts.

Do you have any questions on the subject of export, from customs clearance and export documents to origin, value-added tax and free trade agreements? Our ExportHelp team will be happy to help you with administrative export issues of any kind. Get an initial overview of the regulations and requirements you must meet when exporting.

Would you like to know more about export entry? Over just a few pages, our "Export Compact" handbook gives you a good overview of what you have to look out for to when starting with internationalization.

to the "export compact" handbook