Roadmap to Exporting- Opening the Door: Entering Your Target Market
Page Index
Developing your marketing strategy
With your export plan in place, it's time to think about the marketing strategy you'll use in your target market. One good resource is Chapter 4 of TCI's Step-by-Step Guide to Exporting. Another is Successful International Trade Show Marketing, which you'll find at exportsource.ca/tradeshow.
Part of your strategy may involve visiting the target market and potential customers there. The guides Planning a Business Trip Abroad (see exportsource.ca/trip) and Speaking Globally: A Guide to Effective International Presentations (see exportsource.ca/presentations) will help with your planning.
Obtaining market and sector intelligence and advice
You can get this kind of help from:
Participating in trade missions
A trade mission is a visit to a target market by a group of business delegates, including representatives from SMEs, large corporations, educational institutions and associations, and is generally led by government officials. Such missions highlight Canadian commercial, educational and cultural links to the destination countries while allowing participants to extend their business networks. They help Canadian businesses gain greater access to new markets, develop long-term trade and investment opportunities, build international networks and promote Canadian values.
- Team Canada missions - led by the Prime Minister, the Minister for International Trade, provincial premiers and territorial government leaders, Team Canada missions are a unique partnership in Canada's international business development efforts to increase trade and create jobs and growth in Canada. Team Canada missions have helped thousands of Canadian businesses gain access to senior government and private-sector leaders in international markets, directly contributing to billions of dollars of new business.
- Canada Trade Missions - building on the successful Team Canada formula, ministerial-led Canada Trade Missions provide another vehicle for businesses to develop trade and investment opportunities in key markets.
- Sectoral missions - the Trade Team Canada Sectors organize trade missions for specific industry sectors, help with trade fairs and provide country and market intelligence. Visit their Web site at ttcs.ic.gc.ca.
- Others - provincial and territorial governments, regional development agencies and industry associations also organize and host trade missions to the U.S. and abroad.
Obtaining in-market assistance
Canadian Trade Commissioner Service
In-market assistance includes services such as the provision of business leads and introductions to potential clients, foreign buyers, distributors and other contacts. One essential source for such help is the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS).
The TCS has an overseas network of more than 800 trade commissioners working in more than 140 cities abroad. All trade offices provide the following six core services, free of charge: Market Prospect, Key Contacts Search, Local Company Information, Visit Information, Face-to-face Briefing and Troubleshooting. Trade Commissioners offer in-market assistance to Canadian businesses of all sizes, across all sectors, which have researched and selected their target markets. Visit www.infoexport.gc.ca and select Our Offices Abroad. If you require assistance in researching and selecting your target market, contact trade commissioners in Canada (page 6).
Bidding on a Project
Proposal preparation service
Don't just win. Win smart. Every proposal is a contract in the making. Make sure yours is one you can live with after you close the deal. CCC can help. Their contracting experts can advise you on a vast range of issues for both technical and commercial proposals, from favourable payment milestones and clear terms of acceptance to the availability of dispute resolution mechanisms and the overall acceptability of terms
and conditions. See www.ccc.ca/proposal.
Assistance with contracts
Contract structuring and negotiation service
You've made the sale. Now comes the hard part. International contracts can be enormously complex and demanding. If you're concerned about making sure you're well-positioned to succeed, CCC's contracting experts can help, giving everything from advice on contract structure and negotiation strategies to rolling up their sleeves and working with you at the table to get the terms you need to succeed. Go to www.ccc.ca/negotiation.
Contract management service
Reduce your administrative burden. CCC's Contract management service which includes contract monitoring and administration, foreign exchange, and receivables discounting can free your company from the administrative burden that sometimes comes with international contracts. At the same time, their experts will help you reduce payment lead times and stabilize liquidity flows while minimizing the risk of non-payment. See www.ccc.ca/management.
If you have not already filed an Export Declaration form with Statistics Canada, now is the time to do so. See CAED on page 7.
CCC has a contract negotiation service that can help you sort out the legalities of a deal. See page 15.
Dealing with logistics, customs, laws and regulations
These are vast and complex subjects. The following resources will give you a basic understanding of the issues and provide help in dealing with them.
- Customs guide - The Canada Border Services Agency's Exporting Goods from Canada: A Handy Customs Guide for Exporters is available at exportsource.ca/guides.
- Logistics guides - International Trade Canada offers two publications about stowage and packing for international shipments. Safe Stowage: A Guide for Exporters and Export Packaging: A Guide for Exporters are available at www.infoexport.gc.ca/shipping/menu-e.htm. And don't forget your old friend, Step-by-Step Guide to Exporting - Chapters 5, 6 and 8 have information about legal and shipping matters.
- ExportSource - ExportSource offers a whole warehouse of information on logistics, customs, laws and regulations. Take a look at the valuable resources at exportsource.ca.
- Incoterms 2000 - Incoterms are the 13 basic terms used in international sales contracts. Since not knowing them can make your life difficult, you should learn more about them at www.iccwbo.org/index_incoterms.asp or in the glossary of the Step-by-Step Guide to Exporting (see page 3).
- Export Alert - Register for this Standards Council of Canada service at www.scc.ca/online/export_e.html to be notified of proposed regulatory changes in the international market. The Standards Council also operates an Information and Research Service to assist exporters in obtaining information on standards, technical regulations and conformity assessment requirements in foreign markets. This service can be reached at info@scc.ca.
- Intellectual Property Toolkit – The IP Toolkit helps direct you through useful information about Intellectual Property (IP). It contains information, instructional modules, links and highlighted glossary terms that answer most IP questions asked by businesses and entrepreneurs. Find it at http://www.cipo.gc.ca.
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