The reason a Market Entry Brief comes before a Business Mission — not after — is that most cross-border deals don't stall on relationship-building. They stall on a handful of practical questions nobody asked early enough: is this product even legal to sell here, what will it actually cost to land, and who's responsible when it doesn't arrive the way it left. Below is the shortlist we work through with a client before recommending any travel or introductions.

1. Tariffs and duties

What's the landed cost once duty, not just freight, is added to the unit price? Tariff schedules vary by product classification (HS code) and by trade agreement between the two countries involved — the same product can carry a very different duty rate depending on country of origin. This should be modeled before a price is quoted to a prospective partner, not after.

2. Certification and regulatory approval

Does the product need a local certification, license or registration before it can be sold — food safety, electrical/safety marks, medical or health-product registration, industry-specific standards? Certification timelines are frequently the single biggest schedule risk in a market-entry plan, because they're outside either party's direct control.

3. Logistics and shipping mode

Sea freight, air freight or multimodal — each carries a different cost, transit time and risk profile, and the right choice depends on product value density, shelf life and order volume. Cargo insurance is a related, frequently-skipped step: it's cheap relative to the value of a shipment, and its absence turns a damaged or lost container into a full write-off instead of a claim.

4. Carrier liability — what happens if something goes wrong

For companies shipping into the United States by sea, it's worth knowing that the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act (COGSA) historically caps a carrier's liability at $500 per package absent a higher declared value on the bill of lading — a limit that surprises a lot of first-time exporters when a shipment is damaged or lost and the payout is far below the goods' actual value. This is general background, not legal advice specific to any shipment; a customs broker or trade attorney should confirm current terms for a specific contract.

5. Negotiation culture and documentation norms

Decision-making speed, the role of intermediaries, and what counts as a binding commitment (a verbal agreement, a signed letter of intent, a deposit) vary by market and should be understood before a first meeting, not discovered during one.

What a Discovery Brief actually delivers

A Market Entry Brief answers these five questions for a specific product and a specific market: is this market a fit, who are the realistic target partners, and what are the concrete barriers to entry — before a client spends a dollar on travel or exhibition fees. It's a paid first step deliberately, not a free consultation call, because the output is a real research product, not a sales pitch for the next stage.

The barriers that actually stall a deal are rarely relationship problems — they're logistics, certification and tariff questions nobody priced in early enough.

Once the barriers for a market are mapped, the next step is partner verification — see how we verify a cross-border partner before you ever meet them.