International Distributor & Partner Finding Service

Find and vet international distributors and partners for exporters

Startup Cost
$10,000-$50,000
Difficulty
Intermediate
Time to Profit
8-18 months
Profit Potential
$10,000-$83,000/month

Overview

Distributor finding services charge $5,000-$50,000 per market plus success fees.

Serving 15-40 exporters annually generates $120,000-$1,000,000 with 80-95% margins.

In 2025, finding quality international partners is critical for export success.

Revenue from distributor search projects ($5,000-$30,000 per country), due diligence and vetting services ($3,000-$15,000 per distributor), partnership agreement support, success fees on deals closed (5-15% of first year sales), trade mission and introduction services, and ongoing partner management.

Successful services have extensive international networks, conduct thorough distributor vetting and due diligence, facilitate introductions and meetings, support partnership negotiations, and achieve high successful partnership rates.

Exporters and manufacturers as clients.

Marketing through export associations, trade promotion organizations, manufacturer networks, international trade missions, and successful partnership placements.

Required Skills

  • International Networking
  • Due Diligence
  • Partner Vetting
  • Negotiation Support
  • Cross-Cultural Business
  • Relationship Building

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Leverage international distributor network
  • Can serve multiple clients simultaneously
  • Success fees provide upside on partnerships
  • Help exporters find quality partners faster
  • Build valuable international connections

Cons

  • Need extensive international networks
  • Building distributor database takes time
  • Success depends on partner performance
  • May require international travel
  • Not all searches result in partnerships

How to Get Started

  1. Build international distributor networks and database
  2. Develop distributor vetting methodologies
  3. Market to exporters seeking distributors
  4. Understand client products and requirements
  5. Search and vet potential distributors
  6. Facilitate introductions and meetings
  7. Support partnership negotiations and agreements

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