The topic that is missed here is the experience of similar products in a specific market. Market research data is very good in developed countries. It is not as available or as high quality in the rest of the world. You have to think about using the local people to collect information that you can get on-line through a service in a developed country. Much of the information may be anecdotal, but it is still useful.
Go beyond your own industry. Look at other international firms and how they launched their products. Go to the Web and look up the same product in different countries at various Web sites. Build a reservoir of this information after you organize it.
Of course, the profile depends on the specific product and country. However, you can start by identifying cultural oddities and unique features and characteristics about a specific country.
This is the planning area that was mentioned earlier in this chapter. The planning should be country specific as much as possible.
Coordinating does not mean just managing. It means facilitating the sharing of information and lessons learned among the various offices.
The key here is to implement a structured, routine approach to collect, organize, and use this information. Before any phase of the new product marketing it should be a requirement that the relevant lessons learned be reviewed and applied. Then as more experience is gained, these lessons learned can be expanded.