Thanks to the Internet, it's easier than ever to make contact with potential buyers. Some might say it's too easy. How can you be sure the man or woman at the other end of your computer is all he or she says he is.

Follow up emails should focus on operations in your respective companies to see if there is a real fit. Now is the time to bring out those carefully prepared biographies, photos, and brochures. By the way, in many parts of the world prospective business partners would still like to get your brochures, background information and sales material in hard copy, not as an email attachment.

If this prospect is a potential customer, look into size of the order, purchasing policies, general needs of the customer and, of course, their financial strength and credit history. Another useful bit of information is their loyalty to particular product lines or companies. This will give you some idea how loyal you can expect them to be to you.

To get these answers, type their name into a search engine and see what comes up. You can also hang out in online discussion groups where you might find information about the company's products and business problems.

Determine if your prospect is a member of any professional organizations and then email those organizations seeking information on the prospect's accreditation and their current standing.

Sometimes you can check with the prospect's chamber of commerce or other local development organization. Email them and ask if they are familiar with your prospect and if they would recommend him as a business partner. Go to http://www.chamberofcommerce.com to find the city where your prospect is located and to identify a name and address for the chamber of commerce there.

These are all methods you can use to qualify a prospect in addition to the more conventional ones of checking with U.S.trade officials, your international bank and traditional credit reports. Your goal is to verify that your prospect is everything he says he is and to make sure he is worthy of your business. This is a vital step and one that is too often overlooked by new international traders.

Now let's see how you'll get your message across to potential buyers and partners.

Since you've already qualified your prospect, the focus now shifts from whether you should work together to how you will work together. A great deal depends upon the person and the role of the individual you are pitching to. Depending on whether you're selling to other commission agents, representatives, retailers or distributors, you're method of selling (or pitching) will alter slightly.

Web-based pitches can take the form of online storefronts that allow customers to actually buy off the Internet. What about a virtual billboard that simply advertises your company with profiles, philosophy and, perhaps, product information? Global catalogs can offer information in a variety of languages and, if your product base is broad enough, a search able database.Similar are export catalogs that are specific to a particular country or product.

Another way to attract customers is through use of virtual seminars and virtual communities where like-minded people such as potential buyers of your product would congregate. Examples might include gardeners, farmers, hobbyists, builders or other communities that are easily identified. Check out http://www.agriculture.com for one example of a virtual community.

You can also create an international "buzz" about your product by hosting a chat room or message board. Here you can provide a forum for exchange of views and information about your particular product or target country. Online magazines or ezines that target individuals or companies that have expressed an interest in your product are another way to raise awareness of your products and services in the international marketplace.