Frequently Asked
Questions
Everything you need to know about the platform, the engines, and how manufacturing SMEs use Sales in a Box to expand into global markets.
Platform & Technology
What is Sales in a Box?
Sales in a Box is a proprietary international business intelligence and execution platform built for manufacturing SMEs — companies that produce physical goods and sell internationally. It is built on three purpose-built engines: the Market Intelligence Unit (MIU), the Unified Data Engine (UDE), and the Commercial Network Engine (CNE) — and is designed specifically for export managers, international sales directors, and business development leaders at manufacturing companies.
Is Sales in a Box a generic AI tool?
No. Sales in a Box is built on proprietary intelligence architecture. MIU, UDE, and CNE are custom-engineered systems — not wrappers around public AI models. Every output is HS-specific, anchored to real trade data, and deterministic. It is not a chatbot. It is not a commodity tool.
What are MIU, UDE, and CNE?
MIU (Market Intelligence Unit) is the intelligence layer that scores and ranks export markets using HS-specific trade data. UDE (Unified Data Engine) is the proprietary data ingestion layer that structures authoritative global trade and economic data into clean, deterministic, audit-ready datasets. CNE (Commercial Network Engine) is the execution layer that maps the commercial landscape of any target market, identifying distributors, importers, VARs, agents, and the decision makers you need to reach.
What data sources power the platform?
UDE ingests and normalizes data from authoritative global trade and economic sources through custom ingestion pipelines. All datasets are deterministic, reproducible, and audit-ready. We do not disclose our data sources to protect our proprietary architecture.
Market Intelligence (MIU)
What does MIU analyze?
MIU scores each market across tariffs, non-tariff barriers (NTBs), Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), logistics readiness, import and export trade flows, risk and macro indicators, and industry fit — all anchored to your product's HS code.
What is an HS code and why does it matter?
An HS (Harmonized System) code is the international classification code for traded goods — the universal language of global trade. Every tariff rate, NTB, FTA provision, and trade flow statistic is linked to an HS code. For manufacturing SMEs, HS codes determine the actual duty rates your products face in every market, which FTA preferences apply, and what import restrictions you will encounter. By anchoring all MIU analysis to your specific HS code, Sales in a Box ensures every insight is relevant to what you actually manufacture and export.
Can MIU compare multiple markets simultaneously?
Yes. MIU is designed to rank and compare markets side by side, enabling export teams to prioritize their expansion strategy based on scored, weighted intelligence across all relevant trade dimensions.
What is an NTB?
A Non-Tariff Barrier (NTB) is any trade restriction other than a tariff — including import quotas, licensing requirements, technical standards, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, labelling requirements, and customs procedures. NTBs are often a greater obstacle to market entry than tariffs and are fully captured in MIU scoring.
Commercial Network Engine (CNE)
What does CNE identify?
CNE maps the full commercial landscape of a target market for your product category — identifying relevant distributors, importers, integrators, VARs (Value-Added Resellers), wholesalers, and agents specific to your HS code and industry. It then extracts the top 3 decision makers per company with verified contact details and organizational context. This is the execution layer for manufacturing companies that rely on channel partners to sell internationally.
What is a VAR?
A Value-Added Reseller (VAR) is a company that purchases a product, adds complementary services, software, or integrations, and resells the combined package to end customers. VARs are a key channel partner type for technology, industrial, and B2B export products.
How does CNE verify contact information?
CNE applies proprietary verification processes to ensure that decision maker contacts — including email addresses, LinkedIn profiles, and organizational roles — are current and accurate at the time of extraction.
Does CNE cover all industries?
CNE applies HS-specific and industry-specific filters to ensure that the commercial actors identified are relevant to your product category and export context. Coverage spans manufacturing sectors including industrial equipment, machinery, electronic components, food and agriculture, medical devices, chemicals, building materials, consumer goods, and other export-oriented physical product categories.
Outreach Support
Does Sales in a Box send outreach on my behalf?
No. Outreach support is an optional feature that provides email drafts, outreach strategy suggestions, and follow-up sequence templates. You remain in full control of all communication. We support — you execute.
Is outreach support included in all plans?
Outreach support is available on the Start Plan and above. The Flex Plan focuses on MIU market analysis on a pay-per-analysis basis.
Pricing & Access
What plans are available?
We offer three plans: the Flex Plan (€0/month + €4.99 per MIU analysis), the Start Plan (€9.99/month with unlimited MIU analysis and CNE access), and the Business Plan (€29/month with full multi-market execution and a dedicated account manager). See our Pricing page for full details.
Can I change plans at any time?
Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time with no penalties or long-term commitments.
Do you offer enterprise or custom access?
Yes. For large export teams, enterprise programs, or custom integration requirements, contact us directly at info@salesinabox.net to discuss tailored access and dedicated support.
Is my data secure?
Yes. We apply industry-standard security measures including encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and regular security assessments. For full details, see our Privacy Policy.