GIAGo International Advisory

Know if a country will buy before you bet on it

Fixed-fee evidence for companies going abroad, from a sourced report to a live pilot with real buyers.

Route finder · 4 questionsWho should help you enter the market?

Question 1 of 4

01What do you need most right now?
02Is the country decided?
03What will the entry cost you if you go?
04Budget for outside help before you commit?
Example, not your answer
Example, not your answer

The example reader said: People on the ground to set up and sell · Yes, one country · $50,000 to $500,000 · $3,450 to $9,499

A local partner: distributor, agent or employer of record

Commission or a monthly fee, set locally

Someone already selling in that country carries your product, or employs your first hire there. Vet partners on references, not on their pitch.

Next step: Find candidates in trade-fair exhibitor lists, import registries and your competitors’ distributors; check two references each and agree a 90-day target before signing.

Runner-up: Your government’s trade agency, often free; the US Commercial Service charges $1,950 for a market check and $3,250 for arranged buyer meetings. For country guides and introductions to buyers or partners at public rates.

Or take the full Reality Check: 8 questions, 2 minutes

Four scales of test. Pick the smallest one that settles your decision

1:50On paper

Market Intelligence Report

A custom report on one country and one named decision: sourced evidence, a confidence level on every claim, a strategy and a 30/60/90 action plan.

Scope
1 country, 1 decision
See what the report contains
1:10On assumptions

Market Reality Audit

Two to three weeks to write down your assumptions, scan what could kill the entry, and fix the GO, NO-GO and GO-IF thresholds before optimism can move them.

Duration
2 to 3 weeks
Credit
100% against the Pilot
See the audit
1:1In the market

Market Entry Pilot

One market, one segment, one offer in front of real buyers and partners for eight to twelve weeks. You keep a verdict, an evidence file and a launch kit, whatever the verdict.

Duration
8 to 12 weeks
Capacity
2 pilots at a time
See the pilot
Quarterly, after a GO
1:1After a GO

Market Desk

After a GO: a quarterly activation retainer, scoped to your situation and quoted in conversation.

Term
Quarterly
Start with the Reality Check

Who else can help, and what it costs

Most companies use more than one of these. Our own fees are at the top of the page; the others are public list prices or rate cards, read on 12 October 2026.

WhoTypical priceGood forLimit
Government trade agencyOften free (the UK’s Business Academy); the US Commercial Service charges $1,950 for a market check, $2,500 for a partner search, $3,250 for arranged buyer meetingsCountry facts, introductions to buyers and partnersIt opens doors; it does not give a go or no-go
Independent consultant or boutique$100 to $149 an hour on average for strategy work; most projects under $10,000 (public directory averages)Hands-on help in one marketJudge the track record yourself
Large strategy firm$367 to $488 an hour for strategy staff on US federal schedulesComparing several countries at board levelPriced by the hour; multi-week teams
Local partner: distributor, agent, employer of recordCommission or a monthly fee, set locallySelling and hiring on the groundVet them on references; they rarely advise you to stay out

Sources, read on 12 October 2026: trade.gov, Initial Market Check · trade.gov, Gold Key Service · trade.gov, International Partner Search · UK Business Academy · Clutch, consulting pricing (archived 17 May 2026) · US GSA CALC ceiling rates.

Market entry help: what it costs and whether it ends in a go or no-go$1k$10k$100kUS market check$1,950US buyer meetings$3,250Our report$3,450Our audit$9,500Strategy firm, 1 week$14.7k to $19.5kOur pilotfrom $49,500OthersOur servicePrices of others: public price lists and rate cards.Market entry help: what it costs and whether it ends in a go or no-go$1k$10k$100kUS market check$1,950US buyer meetings$3,250Our report$3,450Our audit$9,500Strategy firm, 1 week$14.7k to $19.5kOur pilotfrom $49,500OthersOur servicePrices of others: public price lists and rate cards.
Start with the cheapest step that can change your decision. Trade agency services cost less than our report and open doors without deciding for you; one consultant-week at the large strategy firms’ federal ceiling rates (40 hours) comes to $14,680 to $19,520, above our audit.

A deck is not evidence

A promising market tells you nothing about who will buy, or what it will cost you. Before you commit capital, we put one named question in front of sources and, when the stakes justify it, in front of real buyers.

In a deck
A market size, a growth curve, an opinion.
In a test
A named question, sources, a threshold signed before, real buyers.

The verdict follows the number, not the mood

Signed before the test: GO at 12 or more qualified demo requests in 8 weeks, GO-IF from 8 to 11 with named conditions, NO-GO below 8. Drag to see how the same file reads.

A page from the sample evidence file, in the format a client receives.

Sample evidence file · EU industrial software · JapanFictional company
StepWhat the file saysBasis
ClaimManufacturers buy maintenance software through integrators, not directly.Source and confidence: high
Threshold, signed before12 qualified demo requests in 8 weeks for a GO; 8 to 11 for a GO-IF.Annex to the engagement letter
Measured9 qualified demo requests.Confidence: medium, small sample
VerdictGO-IF: commit once a Japanese-speaking pre-sales partner is signed and the price holds at the lower band.Follows the scorecard

Read the whole sample file

Threshold set before the test
9
081220
GO-IF. Close, with conditions.

The market answered, but under the bar. You commit only when named conditions are met, each testable, each with an owner and a date.

The same sample file as on the left. The fee does not depend on the verdict.

Who this is for, and who it is not

Not for you if

  • You want a confirmation, not an answer.
  • You need a deck to impress someone inside the company.
  • You only need translation, legal or tax work.

For you if

  • You already sell at home and a country is on the table.
  • You would rather pay to hear NO-GO than find out after launch.
  • Someone can decide within two quarters.

Who runs GIA

Each pilot gets a full-time operator, so we run two at a time. An AI research pipeline gathers the sources, which is what keeps the fees fixed; Loïc Guyon checks every claim, decides every recommendation and signs every verdict.

About Loïc Guyon

Questions buyers ask before they start

How do I test a foreign market before investing?

Name one country and one decision, check them against sources, then put the open question in front of real buyers at small scale.

That is the route here: a sourced report first, an audit when you need thresholds, a live pilot when the stakes justify it. The Reality Check tells you where to start.

How much does a market entry study cost?

A custom Market Intelligence Report is $3,450, fixed. The Market Reality Audit is $9,500 and credited in full against the Pilot. The Pilot starts at $49,500.

Fees are fixed, never hourly, and never depend on the verdict.

How long does a market entry pilot take?

Eight to twelve weeks.

If the first phase kills the thesis, the verdict can be delivered early. The fee does not change.

What happens if the verdict is NO-GO?

You keep the evidence file, the launch kit built so far and the changes that would reopen the market.

A well-argued NO-GO is a finished mission, not a failed one.

Do you handle legal, tax or translation?

No. We say so and point you to partners.

Localization is a separate scope, from $4,950 per market, and it is transcreation, not literal translation.

What does the Reality Check tell me?

Where to start, in two minutes: the report, the audit or the pilot.

The market evidence comes from that first step. If the plan needs work at home first, the route says what to sharpen.