When a company plans to set up an exporting activity it must be aware of the most problematic issues in order to increase the chance to succeed. For this reason it is necessary to plan the activity in the most appropriate way, paying particular attention to the evaluation of the economic and human resources available, as well as the know-how and the internal skills.
The essential rules to set up an exporting activity
The setting up by a company of a product and/or service promotion activity abroad can be compared to the creation of a new business. It is, thus, a complex and not trouble free process. First of all you need to consider that to succeed when exporting a product to a specific geographic area does not necessarily imply the possibility of selling it in a different one. It is necessary to carry out a preliminary market analysis. Just think about the big multinational corporations which count on specific departments that only take care of the internationalization of the product.
You must also take into consideration that
- Nobody knows your company and getting clients to know you takes time;
- You do not know the clients and in the actual market situation the client, not the product, must be at the core;
- You must verify that your products or services are right for a specific market and meet the clients’ needs;
- You must have a clear picture of who the competitors are and who is active in the market;
- You are not operating in the market yet with agents/importers/distributors/clients.
Moreover, from the project point of view:
- The investments in exports do not produce immediate results;
- Once the project has started it is necessary to continue and to develop it in order to achieve any result. To end an activity in a short period of time is a waste of time and resources;
- The clients’ needs are always on top and the big supply makes the market penetration complicated. Being different from competitors could be a good strategy: you need to go beyond the clients’ expectations and provide extra services as an added value.