Describe the route to your customer
Start with the product or service, target customers and intended sales channels. Explain whether you need an importer, distributor, reseller, agent or service partner. These roles should be discussed rather than assumed to mean the same commercial arrangement.
For a hypothetical food brand, reaching specialist retail buyers is a different brief from finding a partner for hotel supply. State which route matters first and why. This example illustrates how to narrow the search; it does not demonstrate demand in either channel.
Separate essential criteria from preferences
List what the partner must be able to support, then identify preferences that could remain flexible. Relevant category activity, customer access and the proposed division of responsibilities can become initial comparison questions. Distinguish available evidence from claims still to verify.
Avoid making every desirable characteristic mandatory before understanding the market. A shortlist should expose trade-offs and unanswered questions, not disguise uncertainty with a single score. Commercial screening is based on the records and responses available.
- Target customers and priority channel
- Relevant category or operating experience
- Expected importer, sales and service responsibilities
- Available evidence and questions needing a response
Prepare information a candidate can respond to
Assemble a concise company introduction, product or service details, current prices and available sales materials. Explain the partnership arrangement you want and the budget available for expansion. Mark commercial assumptions that are open to discussion.
An introduction should give the recipient enough context to assess relevance. Broad promises about an untapped market or guaranteed sales do not replace specific product information. Thai and English introduction materials are included only where specified in the selected tier.
Track research and responses separately
Keep separate records for researched candidates, companies contacted, interested respondents and confirmed meetings. Record the date, available information, response and next question for each. This makes a lack of response different from an explicit rejection or an interested reply.
Thailand market-entry tiers have their own research, outreach, follow-up and introduction limits. Some begin with market assessment; others include contact or meetings within stated limits. Research and outreach do not guarantee appointments, distributor acceptance, signed agreements or sales.
Identify work that needs another scope
Legal due diligence, credit investigations, registration, contract drafting, incorporation and ongoing sales representation are separate matters. Flag these needs early so appropriate scope and specialist involvement can be discussed. A preliminary commercial comparison does not replace them.
Before a Fastwork inquiry, summarise the offer, channel priorities, partner criteria and documents ready to share. Confirm the campaign limits, reporting and end date in the quotation; further countries, product lines or outreach rounds require approval before additional work proceeds.
Your next step
A decision-ready shortlist explains why each candidate is relevant, what information supports that view and what still needs to be asked. More names are useful only when they serve that decision.
