Exporting Resources

Export.gov

Export.gov brings together resources from across the U.S. Government to assist American businesses in planning their international sales strategies and succeed in today's marketplace.

The Basics of Exporting Articles and Webinars (fee-based webinars)

Expand to New Markets

Quick Guide to Foreign Trade Regulations

Who is the U.S. Principle Party in Interest (USPPI)? What is a shipment and when you must file in the Automated Export System (AES)? For more information, please visit our website: http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/

The Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy. We honor privacy, protect confidentiality, share our expertise globally, and conduct our work openly. We are guided on this mission by our strong and capable workforce, our readiness to innovate, and our abiding commitment to our customers.

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Business.USA.gov

BusinessUSA is a new online platform to help small businesses and exporters of all sizes find information about available federal programs without having to waste time and resources navigating the federal bureaucracy.

BusinessUSA, currently in “beta”, combines information and services from 10 different government agencies through one consolidated website and coordinate telephone support through a single 800#. The site already presents hundreds of business resources, in one place.

Whatever services a business owner is looking for, he or she can find it on BusinessUSA – whether it be support to grow a small business, export financing, counseling and training to help sell goods and services overseas, or various loan programs like SBA small business loans, USDA farm loans, and NOAA fishery loans.

Three Keys to Consider Before Exporting

Exporting may sound like territory only reserved for large companies with equally large budgets (or, for you Seinfeld fans, one of Art Vandelay’s occupations). The truth is that armed the right knowledge and business strategy, your business can export successfully—and with less competition than you might imagine.

Roughly one percent of American small businesses export, and nearly 60 percent of them ship goods to only one country. With such a large market relatively untapped by small businesses, the world is your oyster.

If you’ve always been wondering where you can find practical information on exporting, we’ve identified three areas to consider before making a splash in international waters.

1. You’re not afraid of paperwork. Many entrepreneurs dismiss exporting because they’ve heard countless horror stories about the paperwork involved with international shipping, customs offices and payments.

Unfortunately, the naysayers are right. Exporting can be difficult, especially during your foray into the new venture. But remember that old saying that nothing good comes easy.

You’ll need to familiarize yourself with a dozen or more export documents covering everything from invoicing to bills of lading through licenses and a plethora of certificates. The SBA, Department of Commerce and other federal agencies provide samples and explanations the most common exporting documents at export.gov—a great resource as you research the ins and outs of exporting.

2. The market research indicates you’ve (probably) struck gold. Obtaining reliable market research showing where your product will be a hit is priceless to entrepreneurs, particularly when you’re trying to penetrate foreign markets.

Because you’re considering areas that aren’t easily within your reach, you’ll want to start by reading secondary market research (information from reports and similar published sources). You can access more than 100,000 secondary market research articles through the U.S. Commercial Service’s Market Research Library.

Once you’ve identified markets that seem like viable options, it’s time to start primary market research (information from experts, customers and others in the target market). If you’re itching to travel, now’s the time to book your flight to the most promising market. But if you’d rather not fly thousands of miles to discover the market is a bust, get in touch with the local embassy’s exporting contact. The International U.S. Commercial Services Offices offer important contact points as you dive into the market.

3. Your business can adapt to international marketing. What helps sell your product in the States might be a colossal dud in other parts of the world. Different cultures respond to different forms of marketing.

Through export.gov’s International Sales and Marketing section, you can capitalize on resources covering the export marketing gamut, including:

information and counseling
strategy and planning
advertising and promotional events
market entry and expansion

If your business seems ready for exporting, entering the market will demand significant time in both strategy development and tactical execution. But with the potential for a new revenue stream that isn’t tied to the vagaries of America’s and your local economy, exporting could be a game-changer.

ASBDC Biz Blog

Tips for Your Export Marketing

There’s good reason to believe what sells in America can sell elsewhere. But assuming you can market it in the same manner in a foreign country produces disappointing sales for many exporters. Even if you’re marketing your product in an English-speaking country, buying patterns change by borders. Don’t give up on the use of your product or service abroad, but be prepared that it might not take off as quickly it did stateside. As you prepare to enter foreign markets, consider these pointers for your export marketing plan.

1. Don’t neglect the market research. Just like rolling out a product into any new market, the market research indicates a couple important factors:

if your product or service is likely to succeed in the market
what selling points and purchasing habits resonate with the market

As we mentioned in a previous exporting post, you have numerous secondary market research information available. And if you have the time and money for primary market research (conducting research for your specific product), you’ll have an even greater understanding of customer needs.

You may be surprised to find that, while you have little competition stateside, your new market has a similar product or service. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to withdraw from the market, but you’ll have to research your chief competitors.

2. Develop your export marketing strategy. Most entrepreneurs fall into two camps: They love the strategy work and extensive planning, or they want to roll up their sleeves and execute marketing campaigns immediately. For the good of your business, even if you want to start marketing in a new country immediately, you’re almost certainly better off developing your strategy.

Through the federal government’s International Business Plan Workbook, you can create a detailed strategy. Before you begin, prepare to answer hard questions about your international marketing ambitions, such as:

How will international trade help you reach your long-term goals?
Why is your business successful in the domestic market?
What is the projected growth in these international markets over the next five years?

While the workbook provides some guidance, completing it is a very-time consuming exercise that will require significant resources.

3. Capitalize on government-sponsored advertising opportunities. In many instances, you can find fairly low-priced advertising platforms through various federal government agencies tasked with fostering exporting.

The U.S. Commerce Department, for example, produces the bi-monthly Commercial News USA, its official export promotion magazine distributed freely to worldwide U.S. embassies and consulates. If you prefer online advertising to print—or you use an integrated marketing campaign—you may want to investigate FUSE, a directory on international U.S. Commercial Service websites.

Of course, all of these items represent just several of the key export marketing components your business will need in order to compete. To learn more about recommendations for everything exporting-related, export.gov is a great one-stop shop.

Posted by ASBDC Biz Blog

Three Tips for Using an Export Management Company

Tapping into the vast global marketplace sounds great in theory, but if you are like many small business owners, the logistics of making your exporting dreams a reality can be overwhelming. That’s when it makes sense to consider using an export management company for your first foray into international trade.

Yes, direct exporting—where you handle every aspect of the process—does provide the best opportunity to grow your sales and your profits. But the significant commitment in managing everything from learning cross-border distribution to establishing in-country business partnerships or joint ventures often isn’t worth the effort.

With an export management company (EMC) at your side, you can tap into international growth while maintaining your domestic business (and your sanity). The secret lies within developing an indirect exporting strategy using an EMC.

An EMC acts as your export department. What’s more, an EMC functions as a branch sales office or domestic wholesaler—they make money by selling your products. While an EMC might represent products that are complementary to yours, they do not represent competing products.

With thousands of EMCs to choose from, it’s important to find the one that is the best fit for your business. Here are some tips to help you narrow down the potential candidates.

1. Ensure the EMC knows your industry and target market. The vast majority of EMCs specialize by products, by foreign markets or by both. Because exporting, like all other sales, requires solid relationships with customers, select an EMC that has a track record for your type of product in the markets you want to reach.

2. Negotiate reasonable financial arrangements. Financial arrangements between EMCs and their suppliers vary widely. But most EMCs do not take title to your property. Unfortunately, the risk of loss falls on yours and the EMC’s shoulders.

Like many outsourced sales operations, EMCs often work on a commission. To make it worth your while, the commission should be equal to, or better, than what you pay to your best domestic sales reps. And don’t forget to negotiate how costs will be handled for special services or events, such as participation in a trade show or an extensive advertising campaign. Like domestic sales efforts, you’ll see better results with marketing support.

3. Agree upon acceptable working arrangements. A major disadvantage of using an EMC is the loss of control over your brand and marketing. For this reason, the working arrangements should be vetted as carefully as the financial arrangements are. You’ll want to make sure the arrangement provides for regular, on-going communication, such as monthly reports on activities and successes. You may also want to retain the ability to sign off on advertising campaigns or other big-ticket marketing events.
If you’re interested in locating an EMC to jumpstart your exporting efforts, try visiting the Federation of International Trade Associations. In addition, check out this listof sources for exporting information as well as some options for export financing.

Posted by ASBDC Biz Blog

Export Compliance Introduction

Who is the U.S. Principle Party in Interest (USPPI)? What is a shipment and when you must file in the Automated Export System (AES)? For more information, please visit our website: http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/

Posted by ASBDC Biz Blog

Duties and taxes are fees imposed on goods shipped from one country to another. It's the responsibility of the shipper to calculate them and for the buyer to pay them. This video introduces you to online tools for calculating these fees for more than 100 different countries. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/

The Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy. We honor privacy, protect confidentiality, share our expertise globally, and conduct our work openly. We are guided on this mission by our strong and capable workforce, our readiness to innovate, and our abiding commitment to our customers.

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