Lesson 4: Testing before you launch

You cannot check a market's meanings from a desk in the United States. Testing with real people from the market is the most reliable way to catch problems before your customers do. It also shows partners that you take their market seriously.

Who should review your materials:

• At least one person from the target market who understands your sector. A local distributor or agent can often help.

• Ideally, reviewers from more than one region, since language, religion and style vary across Nigeria.

• A U.S. trade advisor, such as an export counselor at a Small Business Development Center, who can point you to market research and local contacts.

How to run a simple test:

• Share the real materials, not a summary: the website page, the brochure, the WhatsApp greeting.

• Ask open questions that invite honest answers. Reviewers may be polite about your work, so make criticism easy.

• Run a small pilot first, such as one product line or one city, before a full launch.

• Track simple signals: questions buyers ask, messages that go unanswered, comments on posts.

Example: a review request to a distributor.

Dear Mrs. Adebayo,

I hope you and your team are well.

Before we launch our new brochure in Nigeria, we would value your view. Could you look at the attached draft and tell us:

1\. Which words or images might confuse or put off buyers?

2\. What would make it more useful to your customers?

3\. Is anything missing that buyers usually ask about?

Please be frank. Your guidance will help us serve your customers better.

Warm regards,

Daniel Brooks

**Say it this way:** "Please be frank. What would you change before your customers see this?" This tells the reviewer you want improvement, not praise.

Plan for public feedback. Decide before launch who will respond to comments and complaints, how fast, and in what tone. Reply publicly with courtesy, then move detailed issues to a private message or call. A calm, respectful reply often wins more trust than the original post.