Define the target profile, build a candidate list, contact named decision makers in the local language, cluster meetings around your trip, and check any sourcing person with a sample candidate list before paying.
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Author: Paul Dahoon Kim (Founder, MetaPret)
Last updated: 2026-10-11
Read time: ~6 minutes
Summary: For companies planning a sales or sourcing trip abroad: how to define who you want to meet, where candidates come from, how outreach and scheduling work, how a local sourcing person fits next to trade body programs, what to prepare, and how to check the person before you pay.
To get buyer or supplier meetings set up abroad, define the target profile first, build a candidate list, reach out in the local language with a clear reason to meet, and cluster the meetings around your trip. A local sourcing person does the list-building, outreach, and follow-up for your specific conditions, and can work alongside programs run by public trade bodies and industry associations. Before paying anyone, ask for a sample list of three to five candidate companies that fit your conditions, and check it yourself.
Who this guide is for
Korean companies looking for distributors, importers, or buyers in a new market, and companies looking for suppliers or manufacturing partners abroad. The work is the same in both directions: find the right companies, get the right person to agree to a meeting, and arrive with a schedule that holds. If you will need someone to interpret in the meetings themselves, read How to pick a business interpreter as well.
Start with the target profile
A vague brief produces a long list of companies that will never buy. Write down the conditions before anyone starts searching.
- Company type. Distributor, importer, wholesaler, retailer, brand owner, or manufacturer.
- Product scope. What they already carry or make, and what would make your product fit next to it.
- Size and reach. Rough size, regions they sell into, and channels they use.
- Exclusions. Competitors, existing partners, and companies already in talks with your team.
- Decision maker. The role you need to meet, such as head of purchasing or category manager, not just the company.
- Your offer. What you can offer them in the first meeting: samples, terms, a reason this year.
Where candidates come from
- Exhibitor and visitor lists from trade shows in your sector.
- Industry associations and their member directories.
- Public company registers and business directories in the target country.
- Retail and online shelves. Who stocks products like yours, and who imports them.
- Professional networks, for finding the right person inside a company.
- Referrals from partners, customers, and people already working in that market.
A local sourcing person adds what a desk search misses: which names are active, who has changed roles, and which companies are known locally to be difficult to work with.
Outreach that gets a reply
Keep the first message short, written in the local language, and addressed to a named person. Say who you are in one line, why you are writing to this company specifically, what you are proposing, and when you will be in the city. Attach a one-page company introduction, not a full catalog.
Follow-up matters more than the first message. Agree on how many follow-ups the sourcing person will send, through which channels, and how they will record each reply, including the polite refusals. A refusal with a reason tells you something about the market.
A local sourcing person vs trade body programs
Public trade bodies such as KOTRA, which runs overseas trade offices, and industry associations organize trade missions, buyer consultation events, and market information. These are worth checking first. A local sourcing person works differently, and the two can be combined.
| Local sourcing person | Trade body programs | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Built around your conditions and your product | Built around a program's sector, schedule, and format |
| Candidate list | Searched and screened for your request | Drawn from the program's participants and contacts |
| Timing | Set around your own trip dates | Set by the program calendar |
| Follow-up | Can continue after the trip as agreed | Depends on the program |
| How to check | Sample list of candidate companies before paying | Ask the program what is included |
Scheduling and preparing the meetings
- Cluster by area. Group meetings by district or industrial zone, and leave real travel time between them.
- Confirm in writing with each company: date, time, address, attendees, and the language of the meeting.
- Reconfirm the day before. Plans change; a short message saves an empty trip.
- Check local calendars for public holidays and religious or seasonal periods that change working hours.
- Prepare per company. A one-page note on each: what they do, why they fit, what you want from the meeting, and who will attend from their side.
- Bring what you promised: samples, price ranges your team has approved, and materials in the local language.
- Plan the language. Decide whether each meeting needs an interpreter, and book that role separately if so.
How to check the person before paying
- Ask for a sample list of three to five candidate companies that fit your conditions. This is the clearest test of whether the person understood the brief.
- Check every name yourself. Does the company exist, does it do what the list says, and is it plausible as a buyer or supplier for your product?
- Ask how each name was found and why it fits. A good answer refers to your conditions, not to the size of their address book.
- Ask about conflicts of interest. Is the person paid by any of the companies on the list, or tied to a competitor?
- Agree deliverables in writing: the number of companies contacted, the meeting target, the follow-up plan, and how replies will be reported.
How MetaPret handles this
MetaPret matches buyer and supplier sourcing plus meeting setup as one of its Local Expert roles. Anyone can register. MetaPret reviews the résumé and approves it, checks field experience, and then, for each request, gives candidates a task matched to the role. For sourcing and meeting setup, the task is a sample list of three to five candidate companies for the request's conditions. Candidates who pass are matched; candidates who do not pass are not.
Pricing is a quote per request, sent after you submit the match request. There is no published price. MetaPret does not do licensed work such as legal, tax, visa filing, recruitment or headhunting, or permits and licensing, so contracts with the companies you meet stay with you and your advisers.
Local Expert candidates are sourced in the city for each request and checked before matching; there is no standing pool waiting in each city. MetaPret's verified interpreter supply is deepest in Seoul today.
Request sourcing and meeting setup · About the Local Expert service
FAQ (FAQPage schema)
Q: How do I set up buyer meetings in another country?
A: Define the target profile, build a candidate list, reach named decision makers in the local language with a clear reason to meet, and cluster confirmed meetings around your trip dates, with a reconfirmation the day before.
Q: What does a local sourcing person do for meeting setup?
A: They search and screen companies against your conditions, handle outreach and follow-up in the local language, schedule meetings around your trip, and report every reply, including refusals.
Q: Should I use a trade body program or a local sourcing person?
A: They can be combined. Trade body programs follow their own sector, format, and calendar; a local sourcing person works to your conditions and your dates. Check what each includes before deciding.
Q: How do I check a sourcing person before paying?
A: Ask for a sample list of three to five candidate companies that fit your conditions, check each name yourself, ask how each was found, and ask whether the person has ties to any company on the list.
Q: What should I prepare before overseas buyer meetings?
A: A one-page note on each company, written confirmations with date, address, and attendees, samples and approved price ranges, materials in the local language, and an interpreter for meetings that need one.
About the author
Paul Dahoon Kim is the founder of MetaPret.
About page · Contact: cs@metapret.net · LinkedIn
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