April 21

, 202

3

Logistics, Trade and Transportation

Symposium 2014

Pursuing a Global Marketing Strategy

Exporting for the Uninitiated

tidbits> The World is a BIG place with a BIG market

> It you can’t or haven’t sold here, there grass isn’t always greener on the other side …… of the ocean

> There is Good and Bad in exporting, know the difference

> Get into exporting for the right reason

> You can’t sell to “a market” you sell to people

> Business is done differently by country/region

• April 21, 2023

Understand Shoestring Strategy

> Understand where your product/service fits

>Not always easy

>Understand your potential CUSTOMER (market is a big word)

>Understand any regulatory compliance up front

>Understand localization and language issues,

>Did you know computer keyboards differ by country, language, and even regions?

• April 21, 2023

Be Known

> Strategies for affordable international advertising

>International press releases are well respected

>Serve as defacto hard and digital media advertising at fraction of cost

>Helps create a buzz, onshore and off shore

>Social media

>Tradeshows

>Business alliance(s)• April 21, 2023

Creating an International Buzz

> Develop and populate Social Media Presence, have both a corporate profile and a personal profile.

>Linked in

>Facebook

>Twitter

>Join Groups, whether tech groups, or market groups in Facebook and linked in.

>Post to blogs, OFTEN

>Join Technical support groups and participate OFTEN• April 21, 2023

Validate the Buzz

> At some point you HAVE to travel

>Make it painless, use your vacations or go for business and couple with a vacation

>Find, communicate, understand a trade association, THEN ask to VISIT/present at a local function. RELATIONSHIPS even more important internationally

>Find a local company/partner and attend a tradeshow, make sure you or your partner invites local targeted customers to visit you specifically. Have a meeting, lunch, whatever…. Different by country

• April 21, 2023

Have an Agenda

> Avoid Shotgun approach or destination vacation

> Competitive edge or cutting edge

> Protected IP Protected IP Protected IP Protected IP

> Use Export Assistance Resources, there are many:

> Trade.gov, Mississippi Development Authority, Mississippi District Export Council, Shippers, etc.

• April 21, 2023

The Good, Bad, and Outright Ugly

> Real World Experience

Great Britain (1), France (3), Switzerland(1), Spain(1), Japan(2), Singapore(1), Canada(5), Central America, and Brazil (2)

• April 21, 2023

The Good

> With each and every trip abroad we have an agenda, at least one action item that can be used to broaden market penetration at home. ….. A NEWSWORTHY event, an agreement, MOU, something that we can take away and use independent of the export agenda.

> We stay an extra weekend and try to befriend an executive or someone who will “show us around” their town, their office, etc. Not hard to find, builds relationships on a personal level.

• April 21, 2023

The Bad

> You can’t have a handshake deal

> You can’t routinely go to someone's office to call them on account

> You will have a hard time “validating” anything from sales to progress

> Many international partnerships require exclusivity, this is common except North America, Pick Wisely

• April 21, 2023

The Outright Ugly

> IP is hard to enforce

> We have had ideas …. Co-opted?

> We have had non-performing sales agreements

> We have agreed to exclusive agreements only to have the partner violate that agreement, even if only subtly

> Hard to enforce fiscal agreements• April 21, 2023

Know the Country, Market, and their Values

> The World is a Big Place, the World Market is a Big Market – Unless you are Google or Microsoft or IBM, or similar, you have lots of work to create a known and trusted brand

> What sells for $50 in US market may only have a $30 value elsewhere

> Reseller agreement values vary by country, where in US a reseller may get 28 -35%, International Resellers may command upwards of 70% AND exclusivity• April 21, 2023

Concluding> Make sure your company is in a position to

Export, financial costs, legal costs, advertising, etc. It takes work, perhaps a whole new BD or sales person. International Sales are rarely a “part-time” effort

> Understand where your assistance resources are. The Federal, State, and even Local governments as well as non-profit centers all have export assistance, up to and including financial incentives to assist in international business. You will hear more on this from my colleagues today. • April 21, 2023

Craig Harvey Executive VP NVision Solutions

President Magnolia Business Alliance

> charvey@magnolia-ba.biz

> 228-242-0015 Office

> www.NVisionSolutions.com

> www.Magnolia-ba.biz• April 21, 2023