Understanding the effectiveness of various marketing efforts in the international marketplace is a growing need for United States businesses. Unfortunately. many businesses, especially small ones are not consistently successful in exporting their products. Although many factors can contribute to exporting o n a consistent basis, this study analyzes the various international marketing methods utilized by small businesses and determines which methods, especially direct marketing, can significantly contribute to consistent exporting of products. The data used in the study are provided by small businesses in the United States, and a logit choice model is formulated. Among various marketing methods, direct marketing is found to be a significant predictor of exporting o n a consistent basis, in addition to such factors as prior experience and extent of preparation to enter foreign markets. Further analysis revealed that among the direct marketing approaches, both the letter and salesman campaigns were found to be more effective than the phone campaign. Therefore, direct marketing efforts may be targeted toward more efficient approaches, such as developing contacts through mail and salesmen.

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