Worldly Wise: Attracting and managing customers isn't the same when business goes global; Companies must be ready to adjust

It's hard enough for a company to maintain relationships with customers that are spread across the country. It's even harder when the customers are spread across the world.

But it has never been more crucial.

As globalization spreads, it opens up opportunities for legions of companies in foreign markets. But to compete effectively, those companies have to change -- especially in the ways they court their biggest customers, many of which are stretching their legs globally as well. Strategies and organizational structures that once worked for serving clients on a local level are no longer efficient when there are 50 or 100 "locals." (...)