Chapter # 5 : Selecting the right export distribution
Employing an export manager or training existing staff, what are the pros and cons?

Our market is becoming more global and companies have to enter new and foreign markets to expand but also to survive. We need to find new markets for our services and products, but we also need to find technologies and components to make us more competitive at home. There has never been a better time than now to expand into new markets.
To enter new markets we need to adapt and train our staff members and many times employ new members to complement our skills and experience. Employing and finding an export manager is often the choice for a company expanding into international markets.
It is a large investment to find someone and train to fit into the organization. However, international business is teamwork and the existing staff still has to be trained on the different task that differs from the domestic market.
So what does it take to succeed? It is not complicated. You need common sense. There’s an enormous amount of information available. The question is how to find what is appropriate. One way is to use commercial online databases. You can read more about this in our book “Export & Import – Winning in the Global Marketplace” ISBN 978-0-9681148-1-0 or visit our website www.exportpro.com and watch the free video seminars https://www.exportpro.com/videos.php
So what is the alternative to employing a full-time export manager?
Rent one of those for an hour, a couple of hours or a day a month to get started and he/she can train existing staff and assist them in their growth into international markets. Someone with flexible hours that can assist you when you need him/her. At the start, it could be rather intensive to, later on, be phased out. After some time the staff can fly on their own whether you employed someone as an export manager or not. It is a low-cost and good insurance to secure you are on the right track and do not make the same mistakes as others have done.
If you employ an export manager from outside you still have to train your existing staff. By starting with your existing staff and outside consultant, you will know if you need an export manager or not and then what you are looking for. Your consultant can assist you in your employment process. Many companies have staff from different cultures and backgrounds speaking foreign
languages, Use these resources they are very valuable entering new markets.

Many companies see the export manager as someone in logistics. That is not the situation. To conduct international business is to understand the foreign culture and how to conduct business in their country. The logistics are only a minor part and most of that can be taken care of by your freight forwarder. Also, read the article The remote export manager.
You do not need free trade agreements to enter new markets. You need just to decide to start. So what are you waiting for?
Watch the free video seminars on International Business:
Leif Holmvall, President
Export Pro Inc.
In our book “Export & Import – Winning in the Global Marketplace”
ISBN 978-0-9681148-1-0 those topics are covered in depth. You can also buy our book for less than $10 as an e-book visit e.g. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0968114814, where you can read part of the book.
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