Export Experts: Are You Ready To Export?

Five experienced exporters share tips on being ready to export, including why to consider exporting, steps to enter a market, website tips, developing a Unique Selling Proposition, getting educated, how to develop a plan and helpful resources (Part 4 in a 6 part series).

Transcript of this video –

0:00 [ Silence ]

0:05 [ Music ]

0:23 <Doug Hartley> If you’re looking to export, a couple quick tips.

0:26 Questions to ask yourself.

0:28 Are you trading successfully locally?

0:32 If you’re doing it well locally, then that’s a really good indication

0:36 that you could do well internationally.

0:39 If you’re looking at selling overseas, talk to your local Commercial office

0:44 because that’ll help you narrow down those markets that may work best for you.

0:49 And then they can then contact us, and we can confirm

0:53 that Australia will or won’t work for your company.

0:57 >> < Kent Gibbons> You’re not going to go into a new market and have things just explode.

1:01 You’re going to sell one or two units, that’s going to turn into six, that’s going to turn

1:05 into 20 if everything goes right.

1:08 But it’s unlikely that you’re going to go in, and everybody’s just,

1:11 you’re going to get flooded with business.

1:13 It takes a while for the market to accept your product and then they

1:19 in turn refer their friends and their network onto this product of yours.

1:25 >> <Heather Ranck> Probably the lowest hanging fruit for a new to export company to sell more

1:32 and sell smarter is to have a good unique selling proposition.

1:36 Too many companies say that “you should buy from us because we’re the best,”

1:41 or “we have great customer service,” but everybody says that.

1:45 So you need to really differentiate why someone would want

1:49 to buy your products from their perspective.

1:52 Not because you think you’re the best, but because how can you help them.

1:56 So having that stated very clearly on your website, in all your communication, videos,

2:02 any social media should be repeating and emphasizing the unique selling proposition,

2:09 and you need to spend some time developing that.

2:11 >> <Cherie Harms> Your website needs to be very direct, very to the point.

2:16 Not too clever.

2:18 Very, keep it very simple if you want to get export inquiries from that.

2:23 >> <Aaron McWilliams> When you exhibit, know your frequently asked questions.

2:26 Practice your pitch, and, most importantly, follow up and follow through.

2:30 >> <Kent Gibbons> It can be daunting and scary when you think about it,

2:33 but when you’re educated and you know how the process works, it’s financially safe,

2:39 and it gives you the ability to develop a completely different geography

2:45 and buffer yourself from just domestic sales.

2:47 When your domestic sales are slumping, sometimes you can buffer that with international sales.

2:51 >> <Jon Engelstad> You can be, become really disappointed fast if you expect to go meet

2:55 with a company and go home with a purchase order or a sale.

2:59 There has been companies that I have been working with over the course of three years

3:04 and four visits and multiple phone conversations where they are just finally starting

3:10 to market our product, and it’s going to turn out to be a very strong relationship

3:14 that if I would have just kind of ended it after a few contacts,

3:18 and they didn’t give me any response, I would have lost that.

3:21 So it takes a lot of patience and persistence

3:24 to develop those relationships before they’re ready to start buying the product.

3:28 >> <Vania Resende> It is very important for a company that wants to export overseas

3:33 to first check all the information they have locally,

3:38 like the Export Assistance Centers in the US.

3:41 It is important for them to contact this Export Assistance

3:45 to see what information they already have available for the companies.

3:50 >> <Cherie Harms> So a lot of people I think get blinders on.

3:54 They’re afraid to export.

3:56 Sometimes management is afraid of wasting time and losing money on exports,

4:02 and when I tell them get the money up front, you can always do that.

4:07 You, on your first order, any order, you don’t have to be afraid to ask for products

4:14 because if you ask for something, and they say no, it’s a sale you didn’t have at all.

4:18 So that’s a good way to start with exporting would be my advice.

4:22 >> <Kent Gibbons> Logistically, you need to consider the modes of transportation

4:25 that are available to you and how your product fits.

4:27 Can it be containerized?

4:29 Does it have to go roll on, roll off?

4:32 Can it go breakbulk?

4:33 >> <Doug Hartley> There are a number of companies that approach a market on a whim.

4:38 They did a holiday in Australia many years ago.

4:41 They liked it, so they think that’s where they’re going to sell their product.

4:45 You have to do more focused market research than that.

4:49 You are, you have to look at the business fundamentals.

4:52 You have to look at your own business’ fundamentals, and then you need to talk

4:57 to somebody who knows the market.

4:59 That will probably be us in the first instance, and we can come up with or help you come

5:07 up with a strategy and validate whether this is a good decision for you.

5:12 >> <Don Aberle> I’d offer this advice when you’re going

5:15 to do business international is commit to it.

5:19 OK. It’s not, OK, I tried it for thirty days, nothing happened, move on.

5:23 It’s hard enough to get customers in America, you know, down the street from you.

5:28 What makes you think that you’re going to get a customer internationally so easily?

5:32 Just commit to the long-term process.

5:34 Have systems or processes in place to follow up on leads and treat every lead

5:40 with respect, and good things will happen.