Jez Watson, managing director of CD Automation, shares his secrets for export success.
According to the UK Trade and Investment, 60% of mid-sized companies already benefit from doing business in high growth markets. When done correctly, export can be a vital card up a company’s metaphorical sleeve.
Here at CD Automation, we don’t play a lot of poker, but we do know about export.
Around 30% of our sales come directly from exporting our industrial automation products to different territories around the globe.
Although taking on international markets is never an easy game, product quality, a strong technical sales team and continuous customer support have been the strongest cards in our export deck.
Regardless of the company background or sector, the main benefit of exporting is that it opens up new markets.
In recent years, UK trading has been particularly prudent and the sales process has become even more demanding than before.
Despite this, certain international markets – like the Middle East and Saudi Arabia in particular – have bloomed over the past few years.
Providing immediate and flawless customer support is one of our main priorities in sustaining export success.
Our dedicated sales team comes from a technical background and understands the needs of our customers across different sectors and territories. If anything breaks down, we guarantee the dispatch of a replacement unit within 48 hours or less, regardless of where in the world your operations are located.
Although we’re extremely confident when it comes to the reliability of our products, should a customer ever need support, we promise a terrific service – supported by a range of bespoke software tools.
To be a successful exporter, you need to take advantage of existing technology and make it work on your behalf.
We would also advise you to start off small. Stick to Europe in the first few years; consolidate your position on the continent before taking on the global market.
The main advantages of exporting in Europe are geographical closeness and the lack of trade barriers. Very often, trading within the European Union is almost like trading in the UK.
Moreover, language doesn’t have to be an issue.
Don’t get us wrong, it always helps if you have a native speaker on board. However, most businesses in European countries have at least one person with an excellent level of English that you can trade with.
Before you decide whether to export or not, make sure you do your research.
Planning and identifying strategic markets, partners and distributors are key steps in setting up an export service. Just like in poker, knowing the rules of the game always increases your chances.
After that, it’s all about instinct, ambition and strategy.
If you would like to have a chat with us, about poker or export, just get in touch and we’ll be happy to share our experience with you.
