ABSTRACT
When sales managers evaluate the attractiveness of global markets, they must not simply employ the same selection criteria that are used in the home market. Even though sales managers are familiar with particular methods of forecasting and identifying home markets, they must not myopically assume these methods will work equally well in a cross-cultural context. To reiterate, sales management in a cross-cultural environment is governed by a different set of managerial decision rules. Therefore, much of what is done in the home market must be adapted and modified for different cultural settings. In this chapter, a series of estimation techniques are introduced that feed into a checklist that can be used to evaluate multicultural markets and determine which have the greatest chances for success based upon the type of sales force assigned and the cultural forces affecting the market(s). Illustrative examples that take the sales manager through the comparative process are also provided. Finally, market rankings are developed based upon relevant choice criteria.
