| Please forgive the flippancy in the above
headline. It’s fashionable to put down government resources (and government anything,
for that matter) as being inadequate or poorly-managed or just worthless. In many cases,
alas, this is quite true.
But if you’re a U.S. exporter (and if you’re
non-U.S. your government probably provides similar resources in your country) you may be
surprised to learn that there are programs that work quite well, can save you money and
provide you with useable data and resources that can be turned directly into profits.
Let’s look at a few examples to see if you can apply lessons learned to your
exporting efforts.
Vellus Products (http://www.vellus.com/) in Columbus, Ohio
is a small company that custom designs dog grooming formulas and is cashing in on the
growth in dog grooming products not only in the show dog arena (pun intended) but also in
servicing your neighborhood Rover and Fido.
President of the company is Sharon Doherty and she was
introduced to the global marketing potential of her products in 1993 when a businessman
from Taiwan started marketing Vellus products successfully at Taiwanese dog shows. Before
long, other dog show presenters from other countries were trying to determine the best way
to access the Vellus products.
This is the way that many, many small companies get started
in global trade. It was only after I had been marketing my products in the domestic market
and was approached by non-U.S. buyers that I realized the potential in the international
marketplace. The simple fact is, if your products sell in your home country, they will
probably sell in other countries too. The challenge is finding the best match of product
and country.
But let’s get back to the Vellus story. . .
After some impressive early sales on a hit-and-miss basis,
Sharon determined two things: there was gold to be mined in “them thar
(international) hills” and she was going to need help to learn more about doing
business in other countries.
She started by approaching her local Export Assistance
Center and was pleased with their level of support. Sometimes new traders are not as
pleased and just give up. If you’ve been unhappy with the level of support from you
local EAC, simply approach another one. The quality of service varies widely so don’t
be afraid to look around for one that’s more likely to do what you need.
If you’re an intermediary and not the exporting
company owner like Sharon Doherty, you may discover the EACs are less enthusiastic about
supporting your trade efforts. If, however, you have an agreement with your supplier
identifying you as their representative, things will usually go a lot better.
In Doherty’s case, her EAC coordinated not only with
the U.S. Commerce Department’s Commercial Service network but also with the Small
Business Administration and the state of Ohio to develop customized market research as
well as financing opportunities.
The lesson? If this EAC was willing to coordinate with
non-Commerce Department agencies to develop necessary support, you should be able to
receive similar service from your local office. Don’t settle for less.
Doherty credits these resources with kick-starting her
global trading marketing program. And along the way, she learned a few things that can be
useful to all traders, old and new.
As I’ve said so many times, global trade is all about
relationships and the quality of those relationships. Doherty reinforced how critical
these relationships are to success in international markets. She passes along her market
expertise to overseas distributors which she says not only helps sales but promotes the
long-term (always think for the long term, not for one or two sales!) quality of the
relationship.
If there are problems, she doesn’t rely on email.
Sharon picks up the phone and communicates directly.
Sharon knows – as do most of my clients – that
it’s important to know who you’re dealing with. It can be hard to restrain
enthusiasm when you hear from an eager overseas distributor with big ideas for your
company and the sale of your products. Her advice: Go slowly.
Copyright 2009 by Dennis Hessler |
