Agents can often benefit from being in more than one network, because not every firm in a single network may be able to handle the risk that must be placed, Kemper said. “Agents can often service the business through their own local offices but also have their own networks and may have independent brokers around the world to service clients. This is essential, fundamental to doing business globally.”

“The big advantage of working with partners in our network is that the people you're dealing with overseas have been vetted,” said John Rodwell, vice president of international development for Assurex Global. Assurex has 107 broker members with representation in more than 80 countries. “We send teams into countries to interview agents and brokers before making our final selection for membership.”

Building a strong relationship with a foreign business partner is essential to the process, said Jim Kapnick, president of Kapnick Insurance Group, an Assurex member. “To effectively handle a master global program, one needs to have a relationship with the local insurance providers for expert advice in each country and have the ability to effectively communicate back to the controlling broker,” he said. “As an Assurex member, we have the opportunity to meet and build relationships with our partners across the globe throughout the year. This allows us to build deep personal relationships that are incredibly important to properly handle the servicing needs of a multinational client.”

Another primary source for assistance is with your existing insurers. Chubb, Zurich and other carriers with a long-standing global presence are targeting midmarket growth abroad, and independent agents are key to their strategy.

“Many global insurers have long, successful histories in many foreign and emerging markets,” said Bill Skapof, head of international commercial markets at Zurich North America Commercial. “Many begin with representative offices or by partnering with an existing indigenous company. Many countries require participation by locals and most insurers find that hiring, training and promoting locals helps them to transition and align successfully. This knowledge can be important to agents, brokers and insureds who can take advantage of this experience by partnering with these companies.” With a local presence in more than 180 jurisdictions around the globe, and access to more than 1,000 risk engineers and 8,000 claims handling professionals, Zurich is a good carrier partner for agents whose customers have significant global risk.

“Any independent agent can handle international customers,” said Kathleen Ellis, senior vice president, worldwide manager at Chubb Multinational Solutions. “We encourage our agents to build their confidence and sell their ability to handle global accounts, but they don't have to be global themselves.”

To assist its agents in becoming savvy in the multinational market, Chubb hosts an international producer school each year for agents who expect to have a book of business of international customers. About 35 to 40 Chubb agents attend the day and a half training each year. The program covers property-casualty and specialty coverage, claims, serving the business and country-specific information.

State and federal government entities also are a potentially valuable resource when going global. “Many trade bodies have set up shop to facilitate international trade, and these serve as a valuable resource for agents to advise their customers,” Rodwell said. “These include municipal and state chambers of commerce. For instance, Cincinnati has a well-established European-American Chambers of Commerce, and Columbus is establishing a chapter to serve the needs of European corporations doing business in Ohio, and vice versa.”

On the federal level, the U.S. Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov) is a useful resource for any type of business that is targeting global growth, Kemper said.

Read Part 1: A booming market.

Read Part 3: Potential pitfalls.